Department for Transport

M20

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to Highways England on removing the barrier on the London-bound section of the M20; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department plans to use to make a decision on the remove the metal barrier on the London-bound carriageway of the M20.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to reinstate three-lane running on both carriageways of the M20; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will instruct Highways England to remove speed restrictions imposed on the M20 for Operation Brock on the coastbound carriageway of the M20.

Jesse Norman: The safety of road users is a priority both for the Department for Transport and for Highways England, and has been throughout the design and potential implementation of the Operation Brock traffic management contingency measures.Highways England are responsible for operational decisions regarding the strategic road network in England, which includes the M20 in Kent. Decisions regarding significant changes to this road network – such as the removal of the metal barrier that is currently in place on the London-bound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 of the M20, or the use of lanes on the M20 carriageways – are made on their advice and by taking into consideration the safety and convenience of all road users. The speed restrictions imposed on the contraflow system were put in place to ensure the safe use of the system by both freight and non-freight drivers.The coast-bound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 of the M20 is currently operating as a three-lane motorway and the Operation Brock contraflow system is not active on this part of the motorway. The London-bound carriageway has two running lanes, operating with a 50 mph speed limit.The steel barrier on the London-bound carriageway will remain in place until further notice, to allow for the option of deploying the contraflow at short notice during times of cross-Channel disruption, caused by bad weather or industrial action as in the past, for example. The M20 barrier will remain under regular review over the coming months, but is unlikely to be removed before the end of October.

Railway Stations: Safety

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has published to help ensure that the staff of train operating companies are trained on health and safety and emergency procedures at train stations.

Andrew Jones: In order to be able to operate services, operators of stations are required to operate and maintain a safety management system and to have this certified or authorised by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) every five years. A key part of this management system is the arrangements for the provision of training to staff on their health and safety responsibilities and the arrangements for managing emergencies. Supervision and enforcement of these arrangements is a matter for the ORR, who have published guidance on their expectations for safety management systems in this regard.

Railway Stations: Safety

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that every train station has a bespoke (a) risk assessment and (b) health and safety policy.

Andrew Jones: All operators are subject to requirements of health and safety law relating to risk assessment, and in particular safety certificates and authorisations require evidence of risk assessment arrangements. Enforcement of these requirements is a matter for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Details of enforcement taken to date is available on the ORR website.

Railway Stations: Safety

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how frequently (a) risk assessments and (b) health and safety policies are reviewed at individual train stations.

Andrew Jones: Under health and safety law, enforced by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), station operators are required to carry out risk assessments in order to identify the measures they need to put in place to ensure the transport system they operate is safe. They must review risk assessments if they have reason to believe they are no longer valid or if there is a significant change in the matters to which the assessment relates. In order to operate services, operators are also required to operate and maintain a safety management system and to have this certified or authorised by the ORR every five years. This management system must include a company safety policy and the arrangements to communicate it to all staff.

Railway Stations: Safety

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many safety certificates were revoked at railway stations in each of the last five years by the Rail Regulator.

Andrew Jones: Certificates are issued by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in relation to an operator’s whole safety management system and are not issued at the level of individual stations. All of the current mainline safety certificates are listed on the ORR website.

Railway Stations: Safety

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that train operating staff are aware of emergency procedures at train stations.

Andrew Jones: In order to be able to operate services, operators of stations are required to operate and maintain a safety management system and to have this certified or authorised by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) every five years. A key part of this management system is the arrangements for the provision of training to staff on their health and safety responsibilities and the arrangements for managing emergencies. Supervision and enforcement of these arrangements is a matter for the ORR, who have published guidance on their expectations for safety management systems in this regard.

Boats

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide public funding to (a) fully compensate and (b) reskill UK passenger boat operators whose businesses are forced to close following the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s review and proposals on the future of older UK passenger boats.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Neither the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) nor the Department can offer any financial assistance to operators whose vessels may be affected by these increased safety measures. It is not normal practice for the Government to compensate individuals or companies for changes brought about by enhancements in safety legislation. To do so would set a challenging precedent.I have asked that the MCA look to achieve a fair balance between proportionality for operators and public safety. However, public safety will always take precedence over all other considerations.

Hammersmith Bridge

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring together the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London to establish how to reopen Hammersmith bridge as quickly as possible.

Jesse Norman: Maintenance of Hammersmith Bridge is a matter for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The reopening of the bridge is not a decision for DfT Ministers.

Hammersmith Bridge

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received information on the structural state of Hammersmith bridge from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has not received information from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the structural state of Hammersmith Bridge.

Department for Transport: Productivity

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which it is meeting (a) the objectives of the Industrial Strategy and (b) the public procurement criteria in that Strategy to boost UK productivity.

Jesse Norman: The Department has not yet made a formal assessment in relation to the Industrial Strategy, but believes it is making significant progress. This includes through significant infrastructure investment projects, further investment planning, and the delivery of commitments set out in the Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy and the Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy.The Department also provides funding across the country through the Transforming Cities Fund; and it launched the Rebalancing Toolkit in December 2017, to help new investment spread growth across the country.The Department has led work on the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, recently published the Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, and has agreed a sector deal with the rail industry.On public procurement, the Procuring for Growth Balanced Scorecard has been embedded in the Department's major construction and capital investment projects, and compliance with the Scorecard is regularly assessed and reported to Cabinet Office. In 2016-17 the DfT Group spend with SMEs was 29.9% against an in-year target of 24%, and it expects to have exceeded its target of 26% for 2017-18.

Cycling and Walking

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to participate in Active Travel such as riding a bike to and from work.

Jesse Norman: The many ways in which the Government is supporting active travel are summarised in the statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which was published in in April 2017. The Department also undertook a major cycling and walking safety review in 2018, and published its response and a detailed action plan in November 2018. Around £2 billion is now being invested in cycling and walking over this Parliament. To encourage people to cycle to work, the Government’s Cycle to Work Scheme allows employers to loan cycles and cyclists' safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The Department is reviewing and updating its guidance on the scheme and is due to publish a revised version later in 2019.

Shipping: Recruitment

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2018 to Question 196855 on Shipping: Recruitment, how many UK resident seafarer ratings are employed on Tonnage Tax qualifying vessels not registered on the UK flag.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I refer to my previous answer (Question 196855) which provides the information requested.

Shipping: Employment

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to table SFR0302 of the UK Seafarer Statistics published on 12 December 2018, what discussions he has had with the Chamber of Shipping on the number of UK (a) Ratings and (b) Certificated Officers recorded as unknown age; and what steps he is taking to improve the quality of the seafarer workforce data provided to his Department.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The figures shown in table SFR0302 of the UK Seafarer Statistics are based on data collected via the annual Chamber of Shipping Manpower survey. During the data collection period, the Department’s statisticians liaise closely with the Chamber of Shipping to ensure the quality and completeness of the data is as high as possible, with a response rate of around 90% of eligible companies achieved in 2018.Where seafarer age is not recorded, efforts are made to contact the companies to obtain these details. However, where companies are unable or unwilling to share this information with the Department, aggregate data will be accepted so that the total number of seafarers covered is as accurate as possible.The Department’s statisticians will continue to work closely with the Chamber to seek opportunities to improve the quality of the data collected as part of the 2019 survey, including exploring whether robust estimates of missing data can be made.

Roads: Capital Investment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish an update on the Roads Investment Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS1), covering the period 2015 to 2020, was announced in December 2014. Highways England published a Delivery Plan for RIS1 and have issued annual updates on progress which show the current status of each project. They expect to publish the next delivery update this summer. Towards the end of the year the Government expects to announce the second Road Investment Strategy, covering the period 2020 to 2025.

Roads: Construction

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to encourage planners and local authorities to prioritise active travel when building new roads.

Jesse Norman: The Government has recently strengthened the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve consideration of cycling and walking within local development plans. The revised NPPF recommends that planning policies should provide for high quality walking and cycling networks and supporting facilities such as cycle parking, drawing on Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs). The NPPF also states that the environmental impacts of traffic and transport infrastructure should be identified, assessed and taken into account from the earliest stages of plan-making, including appropriate opportunities for avoiding and mitigating any adverse effects, which might include, for example, ensuring that new roads make adequate provision for those who cycle and walk.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Electricity Generation

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of electricity used in England and Wales was generated in the UK in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Claire Perry: In 2017, of 308.1 TWh electricity used in England and Wales, 293.3 TWh (95.2 per cent) was generated in the UK. This includes electricity used by generators, for pumped storage, losses, and final consumption. Data for 2018 split by regions of the UK are not yet available. These will be published in December 2019.

Electricity Interconnectors: Europe

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of electricity used in England and Wales was imported from Europe via interconnector in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Kelly Tolhurst: In 2017, of 308.1 TWh electricity used in England and Wales, 14.8 TWh (4.8 per cent) was imported from Europe into the UK via interconnectors. This includes electricity used by generators, for pumped storage, losses, and final consumption. Data for 2018 split by regions of the UK are not yet available. These will be published in December 2019.

Boilers: Natural Gas

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2019 to Question 241381 on Boilers: Natural Gas, whether he has read the BRE's briefing paper, BRE Briefing Note: The future of domestic boiler performance metrics in the UK, published in 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: BEIS officials are aware of BRE’s report and have considered its content. I can confirm that when the Energy-related Product (ErP) Directive standards were introduced in April 2018, the majority of boilers on the market met or exceeded the minimum efficiency requirement of 92 per cent. Since coming into force, all boilers installed in England must meet this standard. 87 per cent of responses to the 2016 consultation Heat in Buildings: The Future of Heat in Domestic Buildings supported the new efficiency rating in recognition of the opportunities this provided for households and UK industries.

Housing: Insulation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many additional insulation measures a week are required to achieve the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendation of increasing the rate of insulation measures installed in UK homes to 21,000 a week by 2020.

Kelly Tolhurst: ECO delivered approximately 2,800 insulation measures a week in 2018, but insulation is also delivered outside of ECO. We do not have data for those measures. A further 18,200 insulation measures a week would be required to reach 21,000 per week, when compared to insulation delivered under ECO during 2018. Our view is that a range of measures are needed alongside ECO to drive an increase in deployment of energy efficiency. In the Clean Growth Strategy we set out our aspiration to improve all homes to EPC Band C by 2035, where cost effective, affordable and practical. Alongside the Clean Growth Strategy we called for evidence on Building a Market for Energy Efficiency, which sought evidence on the range of measures required to shape the market for the future in line with the aspiration. Other insulation measures are expected to be delivered under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Regulations, which require private rented properties in England and Wales to have an EPC rating of at least an E before they can be let. Where a landlord needs to improve an EPC F or G property to meet the standard, their costs are capped at £3,500.

Energy: Housing

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a low interest loan scheme for home owners to help make homes low carbon and energy efficient similar to the scheme introduced by the German Government.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding required to achieve the Government’s target of all homes being rated EPC band C by 2035.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the cost to the public purse of heat decarbonisation of the UK not reaching the target of all homes to at least Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2035.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the recommendation on retrofitting the UK’s 29 million existing homes as an infrastructure priority by the Committee on Climate Change in its Report entitled, UK-Housing-Fit for the Future? published on 21 February 2019.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to key message five of the report entitled, UK Housing - Fit for the Future? published by the Committee on Climate Change on 21 February 2019, what steps he is taking to tackle the urgent funding needs required to help insulate homes and buildings.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to key message five of the report entitled, UK Housing - Fit for the Future? published by the Committee on Climate Change on 21 February 2019, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing proposals for (a) a green buildings passport, (b) green mortgages, (c) green loans and (d) other fiscal incentives.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make a comparative assessment of the level of public funding for retrofitting for energy efficient homes in (a) England and (b) Scotland.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of public funding allocated to retrofitting for energy efficient homes in (a) the UK and (b) other EU countries.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Clean Growth Strategy set out our aspiration that as many homes as possible will be upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. BEIS estimate that the total investment cost of meeting this aspiration is in the order of £35-65 billion (undiscounted), with the actual cost dependent on a range of factors including the technology mix used in particular properties. Further innovation in home energy efficiency measures could lead to cost reductions which reduce these estimates significantly. A key component of the Buildings Mission announced last year, is to halve the cost of retrofitting existing homes to a similar standard of new homes. We recently approved a £10 million innovation project for whole house retrofit, to demonstrate a cost reduction trajectory through retrofitting similar properties at scale. Improving the energy efficiency of our homes reduces the overall energy system costs of heat decarbonisation. The level of additional energy efficiency required is dependent on the heat decarbonisation scenario. Given the scale of investment required, financing these improvements will require funding from both public and private sources. In the Clean Growth Strategy, we committed to extend support for home energy efficiency improvements to 2028 at least at current levels of support through the Energy Company Obligation. This is equivalent to around £6 billion of investment. Additional investment in cost-effective energy efficiency measures will be needed from private sources, including owner occupiers, social landlords and private landlords. For example, landlords of the worst performing properties are already required to invest up to £3500 in improving their homes to a minimum EPC Band E before they let their property, where no third party funding is available. Different parts of the UK have taken different approaches, reflecting the devolved nature of energy efficiency policy. In Scotland, for instance, zero interest loans are available to homeowners for energy efficiency improvements as well as equity loans where interest is repaid on sale of the property. In other EU countries a range of approaches have been taken to support home energy efficiency improvements. These include low and zero interest loans, mortgage incentives, capital subsidies, tax credits and reduced VAT on the installation of energy efficiency measures. We are always looking to learn from international experience in developing policies which are right for the UK. Given the importance of low cost financing, our Call for Evidence on Building a Market for Energy Efficiency sought evidence on different ways of financing energy efficiency, and other fiscal incentives. Different approaches will be appropriate for different consumer groups and tenure types and there is no one size fits all approach. We are currently analysing responses to this. Financing these improvements presents real opportunities for green finance innovation, for example around green mortgage products or green bonds. The UK’s first ever Green Finance Strategy will also be published in the summer. This strategy will build on the recommendations of the Green Finance Taskforce report: Accelerating Green Finance and will set out the steps required to attract the investment we need into our clean economy, including around financing residential energy efficiency. We will set out further details on how we will catalyse the market for energy efficiency later in the year and stimulate the required investment. This will take account of responses to our Call for Evidence alongside recommendations from the National Infrastructure Commission, and Committee on Climate Change.

Energy: Conservation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the role of energy efficiency in reducing the gap in the fourth and fifth carbon budgets; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Energy efficiency has an important role to play in meeting our future carbon budgets. For businesses we have set out our ambition to enable business consumers to reduce their energy usage by improving energy efficiency by at least 20% by 2030, potentially reducing carbon emissions by 22MtCO2e over the fifth Carbon Budget and saving billions of pounds through reduced energy costs. We are undertaking a range of measures to deliver this, including developing a long-term trajectory for improving the energy performance of non-domestic privately rented buildings, with a consultation due in 2019 and consulting on a new energy efficiency scheme for small and medium sized enterprises. We have committed to improve industrial energy efficiency, including through a £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund. In addition, we have put in place a range of ambitious measures to drive improved energy efficiency across the public sector. For our homes, we have set an ambition for as many homes as possible to reach EPC Band C by 2035, and for all fuel poor homes to reach this standard by 2030, so far as reasonably practicable. We have also announced our Buildings Mission to halve the energy use of all new builds by 2030 and halve the cost of retrofitting existing buildings to a similar standard. This is supported by £170 Transforming Construction programme, matched by £250 million from industry, and by the recently announced Future Homes Standard, which will mean new build homes are future-proofed with low carbon heating and world leading levels of energy efficiency. This builds on a range of wider policy, including our commitment to extend support for home energy efficiency out to 2028 at least at the level of the current Energy Company Obligation (£640m per year) and the minimum energy efficiency standards we have introduced to ensure that privately rented homes cannot be let from April 2018 if they are below an EPC Band E.

Housing: Energy

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 March 2019, Spring Statement 2019, HCWS 1407, which Government department will (a) lead on the Future Homes Standard and (b) be responsible for coordination of UK energy efficiency policy for homes and buildings.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Future Homes Standard will be delivered through Part L of the Building Regulations, led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Standard supports delivery of the Industrial Strategy Clean Growth mission to halve energy use in new buildings, and is led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). BEIS is responsible for a range of energy efficiency policies for existing buildings, including: - The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, which is focused on supporting low income and vulnerable households. Since ECO launched it has delivered energy efficiency measures to 2 million homes, such as loft or wall insulation and heating measures, and provides £640m of support per year. - Strengthened energy efficiency regulations for the domestic private rented sector in England and Wales, which came into force on 1 April 2019. These regulations require landlords of privately rented homes with an energy efficiency rating of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating F or G to improve them to a minimum of EPC E before letting the property on a new tenancy, or by 1 April 2020, whichever comes soonest, and to contribute up to £3,500 to the cost of doing so.

Heating

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 15 of the report entitled, UK Housing - Fit for the Future? published by the Committee on Climate Change on 21 February 2019, what steps he is taking to tackle the funding gap in the delivery of low-carbon heating.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Renewable Heat Incentive has funding confirmed until March 2021, and the Government is developing policy for the following period. The Future Homes Standard, announced in my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Statement, will support delivery of the Buildings Mission – the first Industrial Strategy Clean Growth Grand Challenge. The Mission is backed by £170 million through the Transforming Construction Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The Department expects this will be matched by £250 million of private sector investment, meaning over £400 million will be invested in new construction products, technologies and techniques.In the Clean Growth Strategy the Government set out the ambition to phase out the installation of high carbon fossil fuel heating, such as oil and coal, during the 2020s in off gas grid buildings. We are seeking to develop a comprehensive policy framework to support this, and intend to consult later this year.

Electricity Interconnectors: France

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU (i) with and (ii) without a deal on the UK’s ability to receive gas and electricity flows from French interconnectors.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK does not have a gas interconnector to France so there will be no impact on gas flows. In the event that the UK leaves the EU with a deal, the arrangements that govern electricity trading with France will be a matter for negotiations. In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, we do not expect there to be any fundamental barriers to the UK’s ability to receive electricity flows from France. Alternative new rules setting out trading arrangements in the event of a ‘no deal’ have been developed by interconnection operators and were approved by national regulators on 15 March 2019.

Electricity Interconnectors: Netherlands

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal on the UK’s ability to receive gas and electricity flows from Dutch interconnectors.

Kelly Tolhurst: If the UK were to leave the European Union without a deal, modified access rules for the electricity interconnector have been approved by both Ofgem and the Dutch regulator. Modified access rules are not required for the gas interconnector. The Political Declaration on the future relationship sets out the parameters for the UK and EU’s future discussions on electricity and gas.

Electricity Interconnectors: Netherlands

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has held with his Dutch counterparts on the effect of the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal on the UK’s ability to receive gas and electricity flows from Dutch interconnectors; and whether the Government received assurances from the Dutch Government that there would be no disruption to energy flows from that country as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Kelly Tolhurst: If the UK were to leave the European Union without a deal, modified access rules for the electricity interconnector have been approved by both Ofgem and the Dutch regulator.[1] Modified access rules are not required for the gas interconnector. The Political Declaration on the future relationship sets out the parameters for the UK and EU’s future discussions on electricity and gas.[2] [1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/approval-modified-access-rules-britned-interconnector-apply-event-uk-leaves-eu-without-deal[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/withdrawal-agreement-and-political-declaration

Electricity Interconnectors: France

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the French Government on the effect of the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal on the UK’s ability to receive gas and electricity flows from French interconnectors; and whether the Government received assurances from the French Government that there would be no disruption to energy flows from France as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Kelly Tolhurst: There is no gas interconnector between Great Britain and France. IFA, the electricity interconnector between Great Britain and France have engaged with the French Government, supported by BEIS officials. These discussions have provided mutual assurances on the continuity of the legal and regulatory framework for the interconnector if the UK were to leave the European Union without a deal and modified access rules for the electricity interconnector have been approved by both Ofgem and the French regulator.

Products: Safety

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the levels of dangerous non-food products entering the UK.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK has a strong legal framework to protect UK consumers from unsafe goods and we will maintain those protections on exit. The Office of Product Safety and Standards is increasing its intelligence capability to monitor risks associated with goods entering the UK and ensure that enforcement interventions are properly targeted to protect consumers and provide confidence to responsible businesses.

Daphne Jackson Trust and Wellcome Trust: Finance

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to maintain Government funding for science, technology and maths research through the (a) Daphne Jackson Trust and (b) Wellcome Trust; and if he will make a statement. .

Chris Skidmore: The Government has made a commitment to increase overall investment in R&D to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, and 3% in the longer term. This will be the largest increase ever. The Daphne Jackson Trust and the Wellcome Trust are independent charities that do not receive Government funding for their core activities. We have developed and maintain close relationships with both organisations and have supported and worked in partnership with them on specific projects. Through its fellowships the Daphne Jackson Trust supports researchers to retrain and return after a career break of two or more years taken for family, caring or health reasons. In 2017 over half of the seventy active Daphne Jackson Fellowships were sponsored by one or more Research Councils. The Department has partnered with the Wellcome Trust to deliver the Inspiring Science Fund which supports science centres to create opportunities for young people, with an increased focus on under-represented and underserved audiences, to learn about and engage with science, technology, engineering and maths

Energy: Innovation

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of peer-to-peer energy sharing; and whether his Department plans to support this technology.

Kelly Tolhurst: Innovative technologies such as peer-to-peer energy trading could provide many new opportunities and there are a number of ongoing trials in this field, some of which are supported by InnovateUK and Government innovation funding. There are over 120 future systems projects across the UK, including those as part of the newly announced Government funded ‘Prospering from the Energy Revolution’. The joint Government and Ofgem Future Energy Retail Market Review is reviewing the design of the energy retail market to promote competition and drive innovation by introducing further flexibility into the regulatory framework. This will consider the barriers preventing innovative business models entering the market, including peer-to-peer.

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management: Green Deal Scheme

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2019 to Question 242191 on Green Deal Scheme: Appeals, how many of the 99 outstanding cases that have been referred to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been with his office for (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five, (f) six, (g) seven, (h) eight, (i) nine, (j) 10, (k) 11 and (l) 12 months or longer without a final decision having been made.

Kelly Tolhurst: At 25th April 2019 there are 107 outstanding appeals, relating to the company Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd (HELMS), which have been referred to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The table below provides details of the age of the outstanding appeals. Further to the Answer of 16 April 2019 to Question 242191, the Secretary of State has now issued Intention Notices in respect of a total of six HELMS cases. These are subject to representations from relevant persons prior to a final decision. Progress is being made on the remaining appeals and we expect a growing number of Notices to be issued in due course.Months outstandingNumber of appeals1 or under2421237425364758591104113123Longer than 12 months34

Insolvency: Tax Collection

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department had with (a) HMRC and (b) the Treasury on the decision to make HMRC a secondary preferential creditor in insolvencies (i) before and (ii) after the Chancellor announced the policy at the 2018 Budget .

Kelly Tolhurst: Insolvency Service officials regularly meet with officials from HMRC and HM Treasury on a wide range of policy issues which has included, from time to time, the position of HMRC as a creditor in insolvency proceedings. Since the 2018 Budget, officials have had a number of discussions leading up to the publication of the “Protecting Your Taxes in Insolvency” consultation on 26 February this year. The consultation closes on 27 May.

Insolvency: Tax Collection

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) business lending and (b) business rescue of the decision at the 2018 Budget to make HMRC a secondary preferential creditor in insolvencies.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government published an assessment of the impact of the decision to make HMRC a secondary preferential creditor in insolvencies in the “Protecting Your Taxes in Insolvency” policy paper issued with the Budget on 29 October 2018. The Government is currently consulting on the detailed policy design for this measure to ensure the changes work as intended. The consultation closes on 27 May and the Government is encouraging financial services businesses, lenders and insolvency practitioners to respond.

Insolvency

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what public consultation his Department is undertaking with the insolvency and restructuring profession on his Department’s proposed reforms of the corporate insolvency framework.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government regularly consults with and discusses matters of policy with a wide range of stakeholders in order to deliver effective, evidence-based reforms. This reflects the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policy making. In August 2018 the Government published its response to the 2016 ‘Review of the Corporate Insolvency Framework’ consultation and 2018 ‘Insolvency and Corporate Governance’ consultation. The Government outlined in its response its intention to proceed with a comprehensive package of reforms aimed at improving the prospects of company rescue for financially distressed companies, while improving corporate governance to ensure those affected by a company’s financial difficulties are treated fairly. Since publication of the response, officials have continued to consult with a range of interested parties, including representatives from the insolvency and restructuring profession, on the detail of the proposed reforms.

Fracking: Regulation

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what submissions his Department has received from (a) members of the public and (b) civil society groups on concerns over the maintenance of tremor limits in fracking regulations.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Department routinely receives correspondence from members of the public and civil society groups in relation to the regulatory regime for shale gas extraction, including the traffic light system. The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. These regulations have been working as intended and there are no plans to review the traffic light system.

Fracking: Regulation

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is ensure that members of the public are reassured about the adequacy of the regulatory system for shale gas extraction.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK regulatory regime for shale gas is considered among the most robust and stringent in the world.  In October 2018 we established a Shale Environmental Regulator Group (SERG) to act as a single-entry point for the environmental regulation of the shale gas industry and bring the three regulators (Oil and Gas Authority, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive) together to act as one coherent entity. Local communities have met with the regulators at public information events and community liaison groups. During fracking operations at the Preston New Road site in Lancashire the regulators provided newsletters to residents and published information online on ‘Citizen Space’, including inspection reports and results from environmental monitoring. The regulators are visible and responding to community concerns.

Furniture: Regulation

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the responses to the September 2016 Consultation on Updating the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



We intend to publish the responses received to the Consultation alongside the Government’s response, which will be published in due course.

Furniture: Fire Resistant Materials

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what scientific advice has been sought from environmental scientists by the Office for Product Safety and Standards as part of the review of the use of flame retardant chemicals in domestic upholstery.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



The Government is reviewing the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 to ensure they respond to developments in furniture design, innovation, manufacturing processes and environmental and health concerns while maintaining fire safety protections. We have also developed scientific and technical expertise within the Office for Safety and Standards and are taking account of the body of relevant scientific research, including engaging with environmental scientists and commissioning research from external sources. We have sought expert and scientific advice from a range of sources, including from leading fire safety experts, Government Chief Scientific Advisors, and British Standards Institution technical standards committees.

Heating: Hydrogen

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to safely introduce hydrogen into the heating system.

Kelly Tolhurst: Transforming our heating system is one of the most difficult decarbonisation challenges facing the country. A range of technologies have potential to contribute to this, including heat networks, heat pumps, hydrogen and biogas. However, it is not yet clear which approaches will work best at scale. In relation to hydrogen, the HyDeploy projects, funded by OFGEM, are looking to demonstrate the safety case for blending up to 20% hydrogen into the grid. Further work is also needed to better understand the potential for using hydrogen to fully replace methane in parts of the gas grid. Several relevant projects relevant to this are currently underway. These include projects run by gas network operators, and the £25m BEIS-funded Hy4Heat programme, which is investigating the feasibility of using hydrogen for heating in residential and commercial buildings.

Hydrogen: Carbon Emissions

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to produce hydrogen in a low-carbon emissions form.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of hydrogen power in contributing to cutting carbon emissions.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is undertaking activity to accelerate the development of low carbon hydrogen at scale and understand its potential to deliver clean growth.We have provided up to £20m funding through our Hydrogen Supply Innovation Programme. This programme is funding a range of projects in low carbon hydrogen, zero carbon hydrogen and energy storage. These projects together could work towards reducing the cost of low carbon hydrogen.In addition, our Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) Action Plan sets out how we will meet our ambition of having the option to deploy CCUS at scale during the 2030s, subject to costs coming down sufficiently. With current technologies CCUS is needed to produce low carbon hydrogen at scale. The Action Plan is designed to enable the first CCUS facility in the UK, commissioning from the mid-2020s.The Hydrogen Supply Innovation Programme and CCUS Action Plan are important steps towards assessing the potential for producing low carbon hydrogen at scale. These developments will help with assessing the potential for hydrogen power alongside alternative technologies that could support the UK’s decarbonisation efforts.

Motor Vehicles: Fuel Cells

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential of hydrogen fuel cell power sources for cars.

Andrew Stephenson: The development and deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) is at an earlier stage than for plug-in electric vehicles, but there are hydrogen cars available on the UK market and major vehicle manufacturers are publicising their plans to increase production and bring new models to market over the next few years. We are moving in step with international progress on standards and technology on hydrogen as a transport fuel, ensuring that the UK retains its position at the forefront of the adoption of zero emission technologies. The Government’s £23m Hydrogen for Transport Programme supports hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and hydrogen refuelling stations. It is funding the expansion of the hydrogen refuelling network into new locations and supporting the deployment of 300 vehicles as well as innovation and growth of UK hydrogen supply chain and manufacturing.

Fracking: Regulation

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if it is his Department's policy not to review the limits on seismic disturbance.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. These regulations have been working as intended and there are no plans to review the traffic light system.

Ceramics: North Staffordshire

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the skills and expertise are retained of people made redundant in the ceramics industry in North Staffordshire.

Andrew Stephenson: A local Taskforce has been established bringing together BEIS, DWP JobCentre Plus Rapid Response Service, ACAS, National Careers Service, local partners and stakeholders to offer a comprehensive range of help and support to people made redundant recently in the ceramics industry in North Staffordshire. A Jobs Fair held on the 18 April was attended by more than 40 employers showcasing an estimated 1,500 vacancies.

Fracking: Regulation

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to review  the traffic light monitoring system for regulating fracking-induced seismicity.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. These regulations have been working as intended and there are no plans to review the Traffic Light System.

Working Conditions: EU Action

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to transpose EU Directive 2017/0355(COD) into domestic legislation.

Kelly Tolhurst: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston on 30th April 2019 to Question 910614.

Post Office: Civil Proceedings

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times official in his Departmental have met with (a) directors and (b) officials of the Post Office to discuss the ongoing group litigation order taken by subpostmasters against the Post Office.

Kelly Tolhurst: Officials in the Department meet with the directors and officials of Post Office on a regular basis to discuss a number of issues including the ongoing group litigation case. These include senior officials from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and senior officials from UKGI acting on behalf of BEIS.

Post Office: Corporate Hospitality

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Ministers in his Department have accepted (a) gifts and (b) hospitality from the Post Office in the last 12 months.

Kelly Tolhurst: Ministers at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have not accepted gifts or hospitality from the Post Office in the last 12 months

Economic Growth: Environment Protection

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to inform young people of progress of the Government's Clean Growth Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Our progress in delivering the Clean Growth Strategy is set out in detail in the Government Response to the Committee on Climate Change’s Annual Progress Report to Parliament, which includes an assessment of progress against key actions and milestones. ‘Delivering Clean Growth’, our response to the CCC’s 2018 Progress Report, highlighted our achievements in 2018 while establishing new stretching milestones for 2019 to continue to drive progress on our commitments. This can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/committee-on-climate-changes-2018-progress-report-government-response The Government welcomes and shares young people’s enthusiasm for tackling climate change. We engage with young people on these issues through a variety of channels, including as part of the first ever Green GB Week, which was held in October 2018 to showcase the benefits, opportunities and challenges of tackling climate change and driving clean growth. We look forward to engaging with young people when Green GB Week returns for a second week of clean growth action on 4 November 2019.

Carbon Emissions

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what targets the Government has set for the UK to reduce carbon dioxide emissions; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK was the first country to introduce long-term, legally binding emission reduction targets through the Climate Change Act 2008, which set a 2050 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% relative to 1990 levels. The Act also introduced carbon budgets which cap emissions over successive 5-year periods and must be set 12 years in advance. The UK carbon budgets already set in legislation are among the most stringent in the world. The level of each Carbon Budget is set out in the table below. Carbon budgets cover a range of greenhouse gas emissions including carbon dioxide, measured in million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). Carbon Budget 1Carbon Budget 2Carbon Budget 3Carbon Budget 4Carbon Budget 52008-122013-172018-222023-272028-32Budget Level (MtCO2e)3,0182,7822,5441,9501,725  Following the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5°C in October 2018, the Government commissioned its independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to provide their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net-zero target. The CCC’s advice is due on 2 May and we will consider it carefully when it is received.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Air Pollution

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's January 2019 Clean Air Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) effect on air quality of the Renewable Heat Incentive programme and (b) implications of that effect for the future of that programme.

Kelly Tolhurst: Biomass Boilers supported under the RHI scheme must meet strict air quality and feedstock sustainability rules. The air quality requirements ensure applicants for both RHI schemes with a biomass boiler (including Combined Heat and Power) will need to have emissions levels no higher than 30 grams per gigajoule (g/GJ) net heat input for particulate matter (PM) and 150g/GJ for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are the two main pollutants.In the Clean Air Strategy, the Government committed to consult on removing Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme support for new biomass installations in urban areas which are on the gas grid. The Government published the consultation Renewable Heat Incentive: Biomass Combustion in Urban Areas in May 2018, seeking views on a number of proposals including the removal of RHI support for some or all new biomass boilers in urban areas, imposing geographical restrictions on biogas combustion and introducing regular maintenance checks on existing biomass boilers under the RHI. The consultation also contains an assessment of the impacts of this policy change. We will be publishing a government response to this consultation shortly.

Coal: Imports

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much coal the UK has imported for each of the last three years; and from which countries coal has been imported.

Kelly Tolhurst: This information is publicly available in Energy Trends table 2.4 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends

Coal: Consumption

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much coal was used in industry for each of the last three years.

Kelly Tolhurst: This data is available in Energy Trends table 2.1 at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends

Business: Safety

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 242927, how the Government is ensuring the exclusion of regulatory provisions from the Business Impact Target in relation to the safety of (a) tenants (b) residents and (c) occupants in buildings as a result of the Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups; which regulatory objects and subjects have been excluded in this way; and which units within the Government and regulators are responsible for ensuring this exclusion.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 30 April 2019



As set out in the Written Statement of 20 June 2018, departments and regulators are legally responsible for certifying if their regulatory provisions are covered by the Business Impact Target exemption relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups. Any measures which have been certified by the individual departments or regulators under the Grenfell exclusion are listed in the Better Regulation annual report. The 2018/19 annual report will be published in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Andrew Stephenson: In the financial year 2017/18, BEIS was allocated an additional £35.1m for EU exit work by HM Treasury. In the financial year 2018/19, BEIS received a final allocation of £139.5m. The allocation for 2019/20 is £190m. No-deal funding is aggregated as part of the Department’s overall spend and therefore cannot be reported separately. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777880/supplementary_estimates_2018-19_web.pdf https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/

Females: Directors

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of women from black and minority ethnic backgrounds at the highest level of business.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 30 April 2019



The Government is committed to working with business to achieve inclusive and diverse workplaces and supporting the independent, business-led diversity reviews in this area – the Hampton-Alexander Review (FTSE Women Leaders) and the Parker Review (Ethnic Minorities on Boards) - that have set ambitious targets for FTSE350 companies. The Hampton-Alexander Review aims for women to hold at least 33% of senior leadership and board positions by 2020. The Parker Review is campaigning for FTSE100 boards to have at least one director “of colour” by 2021, and FTSE250 boards to have the same by 2024. We have seen the representation of women on FTSE100 boards rise from 12.5% in 2011 to 31.4% today, and on FTSE350 boards from 9.5% to 28%; and all-male boards in the FTSE350 have gone down from 152 to 2 in the same period. These reviews form part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy which aims to build an economy that works for all. Additionally, the Government published its response to the Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship in March. The Rose Review shed light on the barriers faced by women starting and growing businesses, including: lower access to finance; a perceived lack of skills and experience; disproportionate childcare responsibilities; different risk appetite; and a lack of sponsorship and role models. The Government has announced an ambition to increase the number of female entrepreneurs by half by 2030, equivalent to nearly 600,000 additional female entrepreneurs, and HM Treasury is working with UK Finance to establish a new Code, Investing in Women, that will see banks and other financial institutions adopt a set of best practices that will benefit female business owners across the country. This work complements ongoing wider initiatives to address gender imbalances, like tackling the gender pay gap (at a record low), the Women in Finance Charter, and the Government’s forthcoming Gender Equality and Economic Empowerment Strategy.

Carbon Emissions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to include methane in the UK's net-zero emissions targets.

Kelly Tolhurst: Following the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on the impact of global warming of 1.5°C in October 2018, the Government commissioned its independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to provide their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets. This commission included a request for options for the date by which the UK should achieve a) a net zero greenhouse gas target and/or b) a net zero carbon target. The advice will therefore address carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, including methane. The CCC’s advice is due on 2 May and we will consider it carefully when it is received.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April to Question 242927, how the Government is ensuring the exclusion of regulatory provisions from the Business Impact Target as relating to the safety of tenants, residents and occupants in buildings that stem from, or relate to, Government’s response to the Grenfell tragedy, reviews, inquiries or working groups; which regulatory objects and subjects have been excluded in this way; and which units are responsible for ensuring this exclusion.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Living Wage and Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to publish the names of employers who do not pay the national minimum or national living wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bangladesh: Sexual Offences

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with the Department for International Development to protect vulnerable people in refugee camps in Bangladesh from sexual violence.

Mark Field: ​The UK remains committed to protecting vulnerable people, including the over one million forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Up to 18 per cent of the Department for International Development's latest £70 million funding to the Rohingya crisis response in Bangladesh is devoted to the protection of rights for refugees, including prevention and monitoring of sexual exploitation and abuse.The UK Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative continues to work with the Government of Bangladesh, UN agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen justice and accountability for Rohingya survivors of sexual violence. UK funding includes support for family planning, clinical support to survivors of sexual violence and the creation of safe spaces for women.

Bahrain: Nationality

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department made any representations to the Bahraini authorities calling for the reinstatement of citizenship for Bahraini citizens previously convicted of crimes related to political dissent, before the Kingdom of Bahrain reinstated the citizenship of 551 people on 21 April 2019.

Mark Field: We welcome this positive declaration of the reinstatement of citizenship for 551 Bahrain citizens on 21 April. We regularly raise our concerns about the issue of revocation of nationalities where it leaves a person stateless at a senior level with the Government of Bahrain.​

Sri Lanka: Buddhism

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of impunity for Buddhist nationalism in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: ​The UK regularly raises human rights concerns with the Sri Lankan government, including the importance of religious tolerance and protecting the rights of all its citizens to practice their faith. We are aware of reports of Buddhist extremism and our High Commission in Colombo regularly meets with faith groups to understand this.

Sri Lanka: Religious Freedom

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help promote the right to freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: The UK is committed to supporting government and civil society efforts to improve human rights, including freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka. We fund a range of projects in support of this through £8.3 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding. This includes projects that promote interfaith dialogue and increase awareness; encourage greater public debate and advocacy on issues concerning Freedom of Religion or Belief in Sri Lanka; and that counter youth radicalisation in areas prone to inter-religious conflict. Tackling inter-communal tensions will continue to remain among our priorities this year.

Sri Lanka: Religious Freedom

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to tackle religious intolerance in Sri Lanka in the last six months.

Mark Field: The UK is committed to supporting government and civil society efforts to improve human rights, including freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka. We fund a range of projects in support of this through £8.3 million of Conflict, Stability and Security Fund funding. This includes projects that promote interfaith dialogue and increase awareness; encourage greater public debate and advocacy on issues concerning Freedom of Religion or Belief in Sri Lanka; and that counter youth radicalisation in areas prone to inter-religious conflict. Tackling inter-communal tensions will continue to remain among our priorities this year.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia on the use of the death penalty in that country.

Mark Field: We are very concerned by the 37 executions in Saudi Arabia on 23 April 2019. The Foreign Secretary raised this matter directly with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, HE Minister Al Jubeir, and asked for further information. The British Government oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including in Saudi Arabia. We regularly raise human rights concerns, including the use of the death penalty, at the highest levels with the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the judicial processes that were used by the Government of Saudi Arabia to justify the use of the death penalty for the 37 people who were executed on 23 April 2019.

Mark Field: We are very concerned by the 37 executions in Saudi Arabia on 23 April 2019. The Foreign Secretary raised this matter directly with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, HE Minister Al Jubeir, and asked for further information. The British Government oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including in Saudi Arabia. We regularly raise human rights concerns, including the use of the death penalty, at the highest levels with the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the 37 state executions that took place in Saudi Arabia on 23 April 2019, if he will halt arms exports to that country.

Mark Field: We are very concerned by the 37 executions in Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Secretary raised this matter directly with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, HE Minister Al Jubeir, and asked for further information. The British Government oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including in Saudi Arabia. We regularly raise human rights concerns, including the use of the death penalty, at the highest levels with the Saudi Arabian authorities.The UK operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Risks around human rights abuses are a key part of our assessment. We keep the situation under constant review.​

Somalia: Civil Liberties

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations have been made to the authorities in Somalia on the protection of (a) the freedoms of association and religion and (b) other fundamental freedoms in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: ​Last year the UK hosted the Somalia Partnership Forum where the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) strengthened its commitment to support the protection of human rights. Progress in implementing these commitments, in particular an independent National Human Rights Commission, forms a regular part of our dialogue with the FGS. The UK also provides a range of assistance that directly support human rights in Somalia such as working with Somali Security Forces to help provide protection for all civilians in accordance with international human rights standards.Ultimately, a stable and inclusive political settlement is the most important aspect to ensure that Somalia is able to protect human rights for all its citizens, and to end impunity for perpetrators of abuse. This is why the UK is playing a leading role in supporting Somalia in working towards an inclusive constitution and to deliver one-person one-vote elections in 2021.

Sri Lanka: British Nationals Abroad

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to repatriate UK citizens in Sri Lanka.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to protect UK citizens in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: Following the tragic attacks in Sri Lanka over Easter, we have been in constant touch with the Sri Lankan authorities and other partners to establish the facts on the ground and assess the risks to British nationals. We have kept our travel advice under constant review, with regular updates in response to the evolving situation, in order to provide the best possible information and advice. The safety of British nationals is our main concern. We have strengthened our consular teams in London and Colombo to support British nationals, and have deployed additional Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff to the airport in Colombo to assist passengers who are leaving the country. We have dispatched a team of specialists from the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism command, including Family Liaison Officers, to support the families of British victims and assist with the repatriation of deceased British nationals.We have no plans to repatriate UK citizens in Sri Lanka. As there are a number of commercial options available to those wishing to leave Sri Lanka, we do not believe an evacuation funded by UK taxpayers would be appropriate in this situation.

Travel: Insurance

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which countries require UK citizens to purchase travel insurance as a condition of entry.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) strongly encourages all British people travelling abroad to take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before they travel, regardless of their destination. We do not maintain an exhaustive list of countries where evidence of travel insurance cover may be required as a condition of entry, as a range of evidence can be requested as part of individual visa applications. British people travelling abroad can check the relevant FCO travel advice country page for information and advice on entry requirements for their destination country, and should contact the embassy of the country they are visiting if they need further guidance about their eligibility to enter. Responsibility for determining eligibility for entry rests with the immigration authorities in the country concerned.

Russia: Ukraine

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) the Russian Ambassador in London and (b) his Russian counterpart on the recent decree allowing residents in occupied Eastern Ukraine to obtain Russian passports; and what discussion he has had with his Ukrainian counterpart on UK support for that country's territorial integrity.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK was one of the first countries to condemn President Putin's decision to sign a decree making it easier for Ukrainian citizens living in non-government controlled areas of eastern Ukraine to receive Russian passports. In a Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement, we made clear that rather than creating further obstacles to the reintegration of these communities into Ukraine, Russia should focus on implementing the Minsk Agreements in full. We also challenged Russia on this directly at the UN Security Council on 25 April, when the UK also expressed our support for Ukraine's sovereignty. This step by President Putin is the latest in a pattern of Russian behaviour aimed at threatening Ukraine's security and sovereignty and undermining its territorial integrity. The Foreign Secretary continues to discuss these issues with international partners. As the Prime Minister reiterated in a telephone call with President-elect Zelenskiy on 23 April, the UK fully supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. She also expressed our willingness to increase our already deep partnership with Ukraine across a range of areas, including security.

Lebanon: Refugees

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Lebanese counterpart on the status of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon since May 2015 when the UN Human Rights Commission suspended registration of those refugees.

Mark Field: ​​Lebanon's refugee crisis has been raised with the Lebanese Government by the UK Prime Minister, Department for International Development and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office; most recently in March by former Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt. Lebanon has shown enormous generosity in hosting an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The UK is supporting Lebanon to meet the humanitarian needs of both refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. We support the UN judgement that conditions in Syria are not yet conducive for return. Syrian authorities bear responsibility for improving conditions for return, including providing verifiable assurances on security, safety, and respect for international law. The UK remains clear that any refugee returns to Syria must take place voluntarily, in safety and dignity, in line with international humanitarian law and when conditions allow.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Medical Equipment

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the healthcare equipment that NHS England stockpiled for use in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal has expiry dates which will be surpassed by the 31 October 2019.

Stephen Hammond: NHS England has not stockpiled healthcare equipment for use in the event of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a deal. The Department increased stockholding through its national procurement and logistics operation, NHS Supply Chain, as part of its contingency arrangements for the UK leaving the EU without a deal. The majority of the stockpiled medical devices and clinical consumables products have shelf lives that extend beyond 31 October 2019; however, as part of good inventory management practice, products are routinely rotated to ensure they are used ahead of expiry.

Domestic Abuse

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of NHS trusts in England that provided mandatory domestic abuse training for general practitioners in each of the last five years.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of NHS trusts in England that provided mandatory domestic abuse training for health visitors in each of the last five years.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of NHS trusts in England that provided mandatory domestic abuse training for midwives in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The number of National Health Service trusts in England that provide mandatory domestic abuse training for staff is not held centrally.NHS staff must complete a statutory and mandatory training programme which is provided by e-Learning for Health. The programme includes modules on safeguarding adults and children. The requirement to complete this training is part of the employment contract for each employee and it is the responsibility of individual health and social care employer organisations to ensure that their workforce complete it.In addition, the Department has also put £2 million over 2018/19 and 2019/20 behind expanding a pathfinder programme, which will create a model health response for survivors of domestic violence and abuse in general practice, mental health services and hospitals. This expands the number of clinical commissioning groups which are pathfinder sites from three to eight providing health services to approximately 18,000 survivors.In March 2017 the Department published an online Domestic Violence and Abuse resource for health professionals to improve awareness of domestic violence and abuse. It advises health staff on how they can support adults and young people over 16 who are experiencing domestic abuse, and dependent children in their households, by showing how they can respond effectively to disclosures of abuse.The Department has also funded the successful Identification and Referral to Improve Safety (IRIS) project. This provides staff training and a support programme to bridge the gap between the voluntary sector and primary care, to harness the strengths of each, and to provide an improved domestic violence service. IRIS has been adopted in over 800 general practices across 33 areas of the United Kingdom so far.

Breast Cancer

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of care and support available for women with breast cancer in (a) Merseyside, (b) North West England and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Seema Kennedy: The National Cancer Programme is committed to ensuring, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer, including breast cancer, will have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information by 2021. This involves assessing the trends in the level of care and support available for all cancer patients, including breast cancer, at a Cancer Alliance level.Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance have achieved full implementation of personalised stratified follow up for breast cancer patients, which includes supported self-management, holistic needs assessments, care planning and health and wellbeing information. Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance are also looking to improve personalised follow up for all cancers, including breast cancer, such as improving access to psychological care and access to care for, and prevention of, other consequences of treatment. The provision of support and care in the area covered by the Alliance has significantly improved (Alliance level results from the National Cancer Patients Experience Survey (2018)). Cancer patients in Cheshire and Merseyside rate their overall care as 8.9/10, with 92% reporting that they had access to a Clinical Nurse Specialist. For breast cancer patients, 98% of patients reported having access to a Clinical Nurse Specialist, and their overall rating of care was 9.1/10.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he plans to fund prescriptions for Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices following their addition to the high-cost tariff-excluded devices list for 2019-20.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions have been issued for Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices in each clinical commissioning group area in (a) each year since 2015 and (b) 2019.

Seema Kennedy: The information requested on the number of prescriptions that have been issued for continuous glucose monitoring devices in each clinical commissioning group (CCG) area in not collected. CCGs are responsible for commissioning and funding diabetes services, including funding for prescriptions for continuous glucose monitoring devices, for their local populations. CCGs are clinically led organisations that have both the local knowledge and accountability to make commissioning and funding decisions in the best interests of their patients.CCGs and providers should agree a local price for when these devices are in use, as they are not set by the national tariff but are in the high cost devices list in the tariff for 2019/20.

Cancer: Young People

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of findings from Teenage Cancer Trust and Public Health England which show significant variation in the incidence and survival rate of cancer among 13 to 24 year olds based on geography and deprivation.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's polices of the findings of Teenage Cancer Trust and Public Health England, that there are significant variations of incidence and survival rates of cancer in 13 to 24 year olds based on geography and deprivation.

Seema Kennedy: As part of the work undertaken to review national service specifications for Teenagers and Young Adult (TYA) cancer services, NHS England worked closely with Public Health England and the Teenage Cancer Trust to review current public health data, this included the data underpinning the following report:https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/sites/default/files/13-24%20year%20olds%20with%20cancer%20in%20England%20-%20incidence%20mortality%20survival%20FINAL%20%28Jan%202019%29.pdfA public consultation will commence shortly over NHS England’s proposals to drive improvement in TYA cancer services. These include empowering local TYA Cancer Principal Treatment Centres to drive network-wide service improvement in both outcomes and experience and working in close partnership with TYA Designated Hospitals as part of a network. This approach will allow local flexibility to put in place solutions that are tailored to local needs. Further detail will be available on publication of the consultation guide.

Chickenpox: Vaccination

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of vaccinating against chickenpox.

Seema Kennedy: In 2010, after carefully considering all the available evidence, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) found that offering a universal varicella vaccination programme against chickenpox would not be cost effective and may increase the risk of severe disease and complications in adulthood, both from chickenpox and shingles. The JCVI statement is available at the following link:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120907090205/http:/www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@ab/documents/digitalasset/dh_133599.pdf The JCVI keeps all its recommendations under review and is currently considering the latest scientific evidence to establish whether a routine childhood varicella vaccination programme would be effective and of benefit in England; this includes evidence from other countries that have introduced a vaccination programme. The JCVI will make its recommendations, once it has considered all the necessary evidence.

Personal Care Services: Older People

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of introducing free personal care for people over the age of 65.

Caroline Dinenage: As people live longer than ever before, sometimes with complex care needs, we need to ensure the social care system is sustainable in the longer term. This is why the Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper setting out its proposals for reform and will bring forward ideas for including an element of risk pooling in the system, which will help to protect people from the highest costs. As part of this the Department will be considering a wide range of available options.This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to the care and support they need, but we are clear that there should continue to be a principle of shared responsibility, and that people should continue to expect to contribute to their care as part of preparing for later life.The Green Paper remains a priority for this Government and we will be publishing it at the earliest opportunity.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether the NICE guideline for epilepsy on sodium valproate as first-line treatment for children, young people and adults with newly diagnosed juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is compatible with the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency pregnancy prevention programme.

Seema Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the wording of its guideline recommendations. NICE has advised that it will ensure that its recommendations on the use of sodium valproate are consistent with the regulatory position, as set out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The two organisations are working closely together to ensure that this is the case.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on (a) public health impacts, (b) the role of clinicians in making decisions about care for their patients and (c) compliance with the public sector equality duty, of the British Medical Association report entitled Delayed, deterred, and distressed: The impact of NHS overseas charging regulations on patients and the doctors who care for them, published on 18 April 2019.

Stephen Hammond: The Department keeps the impact of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, which have been amended most recently by the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017, under ongoing consideration in line with its continuing public sector equality duty. As such the Department will consider the implications of the British Medical Association report published on 18 April and take any action it deems these findings require.

Spinal Injuries

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of delays in discharges from NHS Spinal Cord Injury Centres on patients awaiting treatment; and what steps his Department has taken to reduce those delays.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England is aware of the benefits of timely admission to a Spinal Cord Injury Centre (SCIC). A key aim of the Spinal Cord Injury Review is to produce a service that is able to offer each newly injured patient prompt admission to a SCIC.We are currently working with the existing eight centres to develop a network model that will allow the sharing of best practice and improve standardisation of high quality care. This would include learning from the experiences of centres that currently have the lowest waiting times for admission. The network would also enable the co-ordination of the actions of referring hospitals and their awareness of the referral processes to SCI centres and ensure they are supported with information and specialist advice about how best to look after cord injured patients prior to admission.There is also work underway looking at options to increase SCI care provision to meet unmet demand across the eight centres, with the possibility of a new unit to serve the population that currently has limited access to a SCI centre. Any new SCI unit would need to be co-located with a major trauma centre.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-disclosure agreements has each (a) NHS Trust and (b) Foundation Trust entered into with staff in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-disclosure agreements has each (a) NHS Trust and (b) Foundation Trust entered into with hospital doctors in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Hammond: Information on how many non-disclosure agreements each National Health Service trust or NHS foundation trust has entered into with either staff or doctors in each of the last five years is not held centrally.

Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions the Government implemented in full the recommendations of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) in the last 20 years.

Stephen Hammond: During the last 20 years there was a two-year public sector pay freeze when the Government did not ask the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) to make any pay recommendations.Of the remaining 18 years, the DDRB’s recommendations were accepted in full on 11 occasions.

Doctors: Equal Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of the ethnicity pay gap in medicine.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association in its submission to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration for an independent review to be undertaken of the ethnicity pay gap in medicine, modelled on the ongoing Dacre review into the Gender Pay Gap; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: No assessment has been made of the level of the ethnicity pay gap in medicine. However, in October 2018, the Prime Minister announced a package of measures to make the workplace fairer for people from ethnic minorities, including a consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay reporting by employers with 250 or more employees. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who are running the consultation, have received over 300 detailed responses to the consultation, which closed on 11 January 2019. They will be setting out next steps in due course.The consultation requested views on the best approach to collect and publish ethnicity pay gap data including methodological proposals that mirror the current mandatory gender pay gap reporting requirements.In addition to the mandatory gender pay gap reporting, the Department of Health and Social Care commissioned a review into the gender pay gap in medicine which commenced in April 2018 and is chaired by Professor Dame Jane Dacre. The review aims to examine qualitative and quantitative evidence to go on to produce a series of implementable recommendations which are expected to be published in September 2019. Once the report has been received, the Department will consider whether there would be value in a similar review of the ethnicity pay gap.

NHS: Pensions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much interest was accrued in relation to annual allowance charges paid through the scheme pays facility of the NHS Pension in each quarter since 2014-15.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not calculated or held by the NHS Business Services Authority for the whole scheme membership. The ‘Scheme Pays’ facility allows NHS Pension Scheme members to settle their annual allowance tax charges without needing to find funds upfront. However, HM Revenue and Customs requires that if a defined benefit pension scheme pays an annual allowance charge there must be an adjustment to the benefits the member has accrued. The value of the scheme pays charge, plus interest, is recouped from the value of the member’s pension on retirement.

NHS: Pensions

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was paid in annual allowance charges paid through the scheme pays facility of the NHS Pension in each quarter since 2014-15.

Stephen Hammond: The information is not available in the format requested, and it is not possible to provide the information by financial quarter in the timeframe available. The NHS Pension Scheme is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority, who collect data on the value of scheme pays charges paid by the scheme to HM Revenue and Customs on behalf of members in each scheme year. The NHS Business Services Authority has provided the following information:Tax YearNumber Scheme Pay ElectionsTotal Scheme Pay Charges (£)2013/141,353£11,711,3182014/15347£10,439,6192015/16768£6,276,6072016/171,126£34,680,862For 2017/18, scheme members have until July to make an election for a scheme pays charge. It is therefore not possible to give a year end figure for the total amount of scheme pays charges. To date, 3,869 elections have been made for 2017/18.

NHS: Sexual Offences

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many compensation payments have been received by NHS staff as a result of sexual assaults committed against them by patients in the each of the last three years for which information is available.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Resolution provides claims management services for National Health Service organisations. It is unable to provide the information as requested, as the figures were so small in some years that it could lead to the identification of individuals.NHS trusts are responsible for dealing with cases of sexual assault by working with their staff, their security teams, their accredited security management advisors, the police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure appropriate action is taken to prevent such misconduct in the first place and robust sanctions are taken against perpetrators.The Government committed in its manifesto to “take vigorous and immediate action against those who abuse or attack the people who work for and make our NHS” and the Department is supporting NHS organisations in this through our programmes to tackle bullying, harassment, violence and abuse.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the waiting time for patients with Ehlers–Danlos syndromes to see a specialist.

Caroline Dinenage: Services for patients with Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) are provided at a local and national level. NHS England commissions services for patients, adults and children, with EDS from specialist rheumatology centres. A Complex EDS service for adults and children is being delivered at two centres in England, London North West University Healthcare Trust and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. The two expert centres ensure that a correct diagnosis of EDS has been made and investigate complex cases of EDS. Some patients may also be seen in more local rheumatology services, which are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups.From October 2018, the National Genomic Test Directory has been in place and specifies the genomic tests that will be commissioned directly by NHS England and the patients who will be eligible to access this testing for diagnostic purposes. EDS with a likely monogenic cause is included in the National Test Directory.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis time for patients with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome.

Caroline Dinenage: Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) are a group of rare inherited connected tissue disorders, affecting around one in 20,000 people. EDS can go undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed, for many years.Building upon the success of the 100,000 Genomes Project, in which EDS was included as part of the rare disease arm, the NHS Genomics Medicine Service (GMS) was launched in October 2018. The GMS brings together existing clinical genetics services and new genomic laboratory infrastructure to provide consistent and equitable access to genomic medicine.The National Genomic Test Directory which underpins the GMS was updated in March 2019 and specifies which genomic tests are commissioned by the National Health Service in England, the technology by which they are available, and the patients who will be eligible to access a test. EDS with a likely monogenic cause is included in the National Test Directory.

Care Homes

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice his Department provides to care homes on the use of funded nursing care payments for the fee charged to self-funded residents; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: Guidance regarding the NHS-funded Nursing Care rate and a care home resident’s overall care fees, can be found in the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care.This makes clear that the care home provider should set an overall fee level for the provision of care and accommodation, which should include any registered nursing care provided by them. If an individual is eligible for NHS-funded Nursing Care the clinical commissioning group will pay the NHS-funded Nursing Care rate direct to the care home, unless there is an agreement in place for this to be paid via a third party (e.g. a local authority). The balance of the fee will then be paid by the individual, their representative or the local authority unless other contracting arrangements have been agreed.Contracts between individuals and/or local authorities, with providers, should have terms and conditions which are transparent and fair, including setting out what happens if a resident is admitted to hospital or what happens if a resident dies.

NHS: Drugs

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2019 to Question 242165 on NHS: drugs, whether the drug distribution issues have been resolved.

Seema Kennedy: The Department is aware that the supplier of Sabril tablets has experienced a delay in delivery and as a result the short term local distribution issues are now expected to be resolved in mid-May 2019.The supplier has confirmed that there are no current supply issues affecting Sabril granules and supplies are available.We understand the importance of this medicine and we continue to monitor the situation and work with the supplier to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Heart Diseases: Screening

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the review into screening for risk of sudden cardiac death has commenced.

Seema Kennedy: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is in the process of reviewing the evidence to screen for the major causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people between the ages of 12 to 39 as per its three-yearly cycle and a public consultation will open in summer 2019. A wide range of relevant stakeholders will be consulted during the next SCD review.The UK NSC is an independent committee that advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four UK countries on all aspects of screening and supports implementation of screening programmes. Conditions are reviewed against evidence review criteria according to the UK NSC’s evidence review process.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Education

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure other international donors contribute to funding education programmes.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is committed to promoting more and better spending on education to help ensure that all children, including the most marginalised, are in school and learning.To maximise our impact and ensure that collectively we are scaling up to meet the enormous need, we work closely with other international actors, the private sector and non-traditional donors in all our major education investments, including through the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait funds.

Overseas Aid: Climate Change

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the role of UK aid in building co-operation with developing countries to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Harriett Baldwin: Tackling climate change is a priority for this Government. There are regular discussions on climate and environment issues among Ministers, and next week the Secretary of State is hosting Ministerial colleagues to discuss how we can work together to strengthen UK ambition, and deliver transformative outcomes at the United Nations Climate Action Summit later this year. The Government has committed £5.8bn of International Climate Finance (ICF) from 2016-2021 to help developing countries tackle climate change. Since 2011 our ICF support has helped reduce or avoid 10.4 million tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Occupied Territories: Humanitarian Aid

Karen Lee: What recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Penny Mordaunt: We continually monitor the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and in particular the major pressure on Gaza’s health sector. Last month DFID announced a new aid package of £2 million to the International Committee for the Red Cross to support delivery of vital medicines, equipment and rehabilitation services.

Middle East: Human Rights

Patricia Gibson: What assessment the Government has made of the contribution of female human rights defenders to improving human rights for women in the Middle East.

Penny Mordaunt: The Foreign Office leads in this area and recognises the important work female human rights defenders do to protect and defend human rights. They do not have specific data on women’s contributions; however, the UK’s global network of embassies and high commissions works closely with human rights defenders, particularly women.

Department for Education

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges and (c) cost of all PFI funded schools the Tendring Public Private Partnership.

Nick Gibb: ​There is no central Government-funded schools private finance initiative contract in Tendring. Data in relation to Tendring Public Private Partnership is held by Essex County Council.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Gateshead

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges and (c) cost of all PFI funded schools in the Gateshead Priority Schools Building Programme.

Nick Gibb: There are 3 private finance 2 (PF2) schools in Gateshead (Lingey House Primary, Front Street Primary and Roman Road Primary) in the Priority School Building Programme privately financed North East batch.Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and PF2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.Further data relating to PFI schools in Gateshead is held by Gateshead Council.

Halebank School Widnes: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which PFI progamme includes the Halebank C of E Primary School; and who the shareholders of the Special-Purpose Vehicle for that school are.

Nick Gibb: Halebank C of E Primary School is in the Priority School Building Programme privately financed North West batch. Information on private finance initiative and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges (c) costs and (d) project names of all PFI funded schools in Kent.

Nick Gibb: Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.Three schools PFI contracts in Kent were signed between 2001 and 2008. Further data relating to PFI schools in Kent is held by Kent County Council.

Higher Education: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the (a) quality and (b) choice of higher education provision in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Chris Skidmore: The Office for Students (OfS) holds providers to account for delivering well-designed courses that offer successful outcomes for all of their students, and has a statutory duty to promote quality, and greater choice and opportunities for students. Universities and other higher education (HE) providers are planning a range of changes to the degree classification system to ensure public confidence in the results students receive and the value of a degree. The consultation process for these changes is nearing its response phase. The new OfS regulatory framework removes unnecessary barriers to entry for high quality new providers with the aim of increasing diversity, competition and innovation in the sector. The Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) is a national exercise that recognises excellent teaching and student outcomes. Four HE institutions in Yorkshire and the Humber hold the gold TEF award and seven the silver. Students’ ability to make informed choices is at the heart of the HE reform agenda with prospective students free to make choices to apply to providers in any part of the country. The TEF is supporting student choice. We are also improving the online offering for students, working alongside OfS to redesign the HE course comparison website, Unistats, by September 2019. In addition, we launched the Higher Education Open Data competition last year for technology companies and coders to design an innovative digital tool to make it easier for prospective students to access valuable data on salaries and employability. Two winning technology companies have now developed two digital tools to level the playing field for all students, by giving them access to graduate outcomes data at their fingertips.

Schools: Yorkshire and the Humber

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of good school places in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Nick Gibb: Delivering good quality school places is a top priority. The Government has committed £7 billion between 2015 and 2021 to deliver new school places, which is on top of investment in the free schools programme. The Government is on track to create 1 million places this decade (2010 to 2020), the largest increase in school capacity in at least two generations. Yorkshire and the Humber has been allocated £855 million to create new places between 2011 and 2021. There are now 61,527 more school places in Yorkshire and the Humber than in 2010. As at December 2018, there are over 170,000 more pupils in good or outstanding schools in Yorkshire and the Humber than in 2010. As at 24 April, there are 30 open free schools and six University Technical Colleges (UTCs) in Yorkshire and the Humber and a further 13 free schools and one UTC have been approved. In addition, the Department will run competitions to find strong providers to open and run five additional special schools in Yorkshire and the Humber. This includes five additional special schools in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges, (c) costs and (d) project names of all PFI funded schools in Leeds.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.The PFI contracts for 6 schools in Leeds were signed between 1999 and 2008. Further data relating to PFI schools in Leeds is held by Leeds City Council.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges (c) costs and (d) project names of all PFI funded schools in Sandwell.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



There is one private finance 2 (PF2) school in Sandwell (the Phoenix Collegiate) in the Priority School Building Programme privately financed Midlands batch. Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and PF2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data. Further data relating to PFI schools in Sandwell is held by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges (c) costs and (d) project names of all PFI funded schools in Tameside.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.Three schools’ PFI contracts in Tameside were signed between 2002 and 2010. Further data relating to PFI schools in Tameside is held by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

Stopsley School: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which PFI progamme includes the Sopsley High School in Luton; and who the shareholders of the Special-Purpose Vehicle for that school are.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 (PF2) data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.One school PFI contract in Luton was signed in 2009. Additionally, there is one PF2 school in Luton (Stopsley High School) within the Priority School Building Programme private finance Hertfordshire, Luton and Reading batch.Further data relating to PFI schools in Luton is held by Luton Borough Council.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which PFI programme includes the Joining Schools Project in Newham; and who the shareholders of the Special-Purpose Vehicle for that school are.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 April 2019



Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.The PFI contracts for 2 schools in Newham were signed in 2001 and 2003. Further data relating to PFI schools in Newham is held by the London Borough of Newham.

Higher Education: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps Opportunity North East will take to boost the rate of participation in higher education, degree apprenticeships and other high quality technical education options.

Nadhim Zahawi: Opportunity North East will challenge the most selective higher education (HE) institutions across the country to do more to increase the number of young people from the region who secure places. There are already a range of programmes that offer support to young people in the North East to help them think about progression to HE, such as Futureme offered through the North East Collaborative Outreach Programme (NECOP): https://futureme.ac.uk/about. We are working in collaboration with NECOP and others to assess which of these widening participation programmes have potential for the greatest impact, and we will work with HE institutions on these to boost the rate of participation of the region’s young people.We are working closely with Local Enterprise Partnerships in the North East and their business partners to improve careers and enterprise education and connect young people to the regional economy, and to find more ways for regional and national employers to be part of providing word-class careers and enterprise education in the region’s schools.We will engage with North East T level providers to support their delivery planning, and we will identify if there are any particular sectors/geographic areas where the National Apprenticeship Service could do some targeted work with employers.

Schools: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will list meetings (a) he and (b) his Ministers have had with (i) academics and (ii) multi-academy trusts and school leaders on the priorities of the Opportunity North East initiative.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has set up a board which includes academics, multi-academy trusts and school leaders to discuss the priorities of the Opportunity North East (ONE) initiative. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education chaired the launch meeting of the ONE board on 8 October 2018, and my noble Friend Lord Agnew has chaired the three subsequent board meetings on 4 February 2019, 14 March 2019 and 27 March 2019.

Department for Education: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Anne Milton: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU Exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412 million of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286 million of additional funding for 2017/18, a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017/18, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5 billion of additional funding for 2018/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary to the Treasury’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March 2018, available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/ Over £2 billion of additional funding for 2019/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary to the Treasury’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on 18 December 2018, available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/ This funding is to cover all exit scenarios and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU. Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges and (c) cost of all PFI funded schools in Newham.

Nick Gibb: Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.Two schools PFI contracts in Newham were signed between 2001 and 2003. Further data relating to PFI schools in Newham is held by London Borough of Newham.

Deanery High School Wigan: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which PFI progamme includes the Deanery CE High School in Wigan; and who the shareholders of the Special-Purpose Vehicle for that school are.

Nick Gibb: The Deanery CE High School in Wigan is a private finance 2 (PF2) school in the Priority School Building Programme North West private finance batch for which the contract was signed in 2015.Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and PF2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Oldham

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges, (c) costs and (d) project names of all the Building Schools for the Future wave 4 phase 3 Schools in Oldham.

Nick Gibb: Two schools were built under Building Schools for the Future in wave 4, phase 3 in Oldham.North Chadderton was delivered using a design and build contract so did not incur any unitary charges. The contract for North Chadderton was signed in 2010 for a value of £23 million.Blessed John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College was delivered using the private finance initiative (PFI). Information on PFI projects is published by HM Treasury and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges, (c) costs and (d) project names of all PFI funded schools in Redcar.

Nick Gibb: Information on private finance initiative (PFI) and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.One PFI contract in Redcar and Cleveland was signed in 2005. Further data relating to PFI schools in Redcar and Cleveland is held by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the (a) names, (b) unitary charges, (c) costs and (d) project names of all PFI funded schools in Stockport.

Nick Gibb: The Department is not aware of any private finance initiative (PFI) funded schools in Stockport. More generally, information on PFI and private finance 2 data for current and in procurement projects published by HM Treasury can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2017-summary-data.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Security

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 237103 on Prisons: Security, what the timetable is for the installation of X-ray body scanners at the remaining nine prisons in the 10 Prisons Project and the long-term and high-security estate.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 237103 on Prisons: Security, what selection criteria was used by his Department when deciding which prisons would be the first to be funded to install X-ray body scanners.

Rory Stewart: The X-ray body scanner installation programme for the remaining establishments, including the 10 Prisons Project and High Security Estate, is underway, having commenced in early April 2019. All of the prisons included in the programme will have their scanners installed by the end of June 2019. The prisons included in this programme have specifically been selected as having an identified need for the detection technology to help address their current threats to prison safety and security. Following an operational trial in HMP Belmarsh, the decision was taken to provide the remaining prisons within the High Security Estate with a scanner to help mitigate the risk of contraband being trafficked into the prisons, by prisoners, via internal secretion. HMP Holme House has also been allocated a scanner given their status as drug-recovery prison and their role in exploring new technologies which may benefit prison safety and security more widely. The 10 prisons in the 10 Prisons Project were selected across three regions in the prison estate as some of our most challenging establishments, particularly in respect of drugs and violence. We are working closely with them to understand how adaptable different approaches, including x-ray scanners, are to types of different prison environment so that we can share best practice and seek to replicate elsewhere what works.

Prisons: Security

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 237103 on Prisons: Security, (a) what the cost was and (b) who funded the installation of the X-ray body scanners at (i) Altcourse, (ii) Belmarsh, (iii) Doncaster, (iv) Forest Bank, (v) Holme House, (vi) Leeds, (vii) Northumberland, and (viii) Peterborough prisons.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2019 to Question 237103 on Prisons: Security, what financial contribution was made by (a) G4S, (b) Serco and (c) Sodexo to support the installation of X-ray body scanners at each of the establishments they operate.

Rory Stewart: I am unfortunately unable to disclose any financial information in relation to the provision of these scanners within the prison estate as it is commercially sensitive. The Ministry of Justice is currently engaged in a procurement exercise to enable future purchase of this equipment and any declaration of cost and values may prejudice the outcome of this exercise. I am able to confirm, however, that the Ministry of Justice funded the purchase and installation of the scanners for all public sector prisons but did not contribute to the cost of purchase or install of the equipment for any of the privately-managed prisons.

Crime: Victims

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he will take to uphold rights currently afforded to victims in the UK under the EU Victims Rights Directive after the UK leaves the EU.

Edward Argar: In England and Wales, transposition of the EU Victims’ Directive was evidenced through pre-existing legislation and through the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (the Victims’ Code), which is issued by the Secretary of State for Justice under section 32 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. The legislation and Victims’ Code exist independently of EU law and as such leaving the EU will not affect the services provided to victims. We committed in the Victims Strategy, published in September 2018, to amend the Victims’ Code to address its complexity, accessibility and update the entitlements so that they are more reflective of victims’ needs. We intend to consult on these changes shortly.

Prison Officers

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officers in bands three to five or equivalent in each prison operated by private operators have less than three years' experience.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officers in bands three to five or equivalent in each prison operated by private operators have three or more years' experience.

Rory Stewart: Providers are not contractually obliged to supply data relating to the length of service of their employees. Responsibility for all staffing matters, including ensuring provision of sufficiently-trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, lies with the contractors. Regular recruitment and training of staff takes place across privately-managed prisons and we continue to monitor the performance of all providers closely. .

Prison Officers: Training

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much it costs the Ministry of Justice to train a new prison officer.

Rory Stewart: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) central accounting system does not separate specific costs in respect of new entry Prison Officers from other overall training costs. The information requested could only be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prison Officers: Resignations

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers in bands three to five left the prison service in 2018 to join (a) the police, (b) Border Force, (c) the military and (d) another profession.

Rory Stewart: Information on where staff go after ending their employment with HMPPS is not held. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.

Immigration: Appeals

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average timescale is for an immigration case to be heard at the First Tier Tribunal in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals to the Upper Tribunal have been successful in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: The average waiting time from the receipt of an appeal to the hearing in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) October 2018 to December 2018 was 39 weeks, 11 weeks shorter compared to the same period a year ago.Between October 2018 and December 2018 34% of the 1,153 appeals determined by the Upper Tribunal were successful. This figure includes appeals brought by both individual appellants and the Home Office on a point of law.

Rents: Non-payment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many county court judgements were issued for non-payment of (a) commercial and (b) residential rents in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice does not hold centrally information on the number of county court judgments made in the last 12 months specifically in relation to non-payment of commercial and residential rents. This information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Patrick MacKay

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Patrick Mackay has ever been deemed eligible for release from prison since he was sentenced for manslaughter in 1975.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions the Parole Board has considered Patrick Mackay for release from prison; and what the outcome has been of those hearings.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Patrick Mackay has had his case considered by the Parole Board on or after 22 May 2018.

Rory Stewart: Patrick Mackay was convicted of three counts of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years in 1975. He became eligible for release at the end of that minimum term in March 1995. As a Life Sentenced Prisoner, Mr Mackay will only be released on direction from the Independent Parole Board when it is satisfied that the risk he poses can be managed safely in the community.The Parole Board has reviewed Mr Mackay’s detention on 10 occasions since 1995. On each occasion the Parole Board has decided that his risk is too high to be safely managed in the community.Mr Mackay’s case was most recently referred to the Parole Board in August 2018. His parole review is ongoing.

Homicide: Ethnic Groups

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, from which ethnic group each offender convicted of murder came from in the last three years.

Rory Stewart: Data on convictions for murder, up to 31 December 2017, can be found in the principle offence proceedings and outcomes by offence code data tool, available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/738814/HO-Code-Tool-2017.xlsx In the pivot table, select ‘Ethnicity’ from the ‘Ethnicity filter and select ‘1 Murder’ from the ‘Offence’ filter: The number of murder convictions for each year can be found in the `Convicted’ row (row 30). Court proceedings data, including findings of guilt for the offence of murder for 2018, are planned for publication on 16 May 2019.

Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which individuals have the power to alter a curfew that is the subject of a community order.

Rory Stewart: Only Courts have the power to vary a curfew that has been imposed as part of a community order. Curfew is one of the range of community requirements which can be imposed as part of a community order, so the offender is required to be in a particular place at certain times. If the court makes a community order that includes a curfew requirement, it must also impose an electronic monitoring requirement (unless there are particular reasons for not doing so), the purpose of which is to promote and monitor compliance. A curfew can be imposed for a daily maximum of 16 hours per day and for the maximum requirement duration of 12 months. The National Probation Service can commence enforcement proceedings for alleged violations of a curfew. If enforcement proceedings are commenced and the court finds that the offender has breached their curfew, one of the sanctions the court can apply is to make the order more onerous which could include varying the curfew by extending the daily curfew hours or the overall length of the curfew requirement.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking in response to the findings and recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s investigation into child custodial institutions.

Edward Argar: Holding answer received on 30 April 2019



The findings in the Inquiry’s report are shocking. The safety and welfare of children across all aspects of the youth justice system is a priority for government. We are already conducting an urgent review into safeguarding in the youth custodial estate and we have commissioned an independent review of pain inducing restraint techniques. We are also rolling out new specialist training and a specific qualification for staff working in the secure estate as part of a wide programme of reform, but we recognise further action is needed. We will carefully consider all the report’s recommendations and respond in due course.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

European Parliament: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what changes to the process by which EU citizens become eligible to vote in European elections in the UK were recommended by the Commission.

Bridget Phillipson: Following the 2014 European Parliamentary election, the Electoral Commission identified, in its statutory election report, that the system for citizens of other EU member states to register to vote in future European elections in the UK could be simplified. It specifically highlighted that legislation could be changed so that EU citizens would not need to complete more than one electoral registration form. Commission staff subsequently met Cabinet Office officials, together with representatives from EU citizens’ organisations, to consider the practical implications of this and other options for amending the law.

European Parliament: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Commission has issued on making changes to the process for inviting EU citizens resident in the UK to participate in European elections in the UK in view of the short timescale.

Bridget Phillipson: Electoral legislation sets out the process that EU citizens must follow if they wish to vote in a European Parliamentary election in the UK. As was the case in 2014, the Commission has issued guidance reflecting this legislation, recommending that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) should write to EU citizens to inform them of what they need to do to be able to vote at the European Parliamentary elections in the UK.

European Parliament: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Commission has provided to the Cabinet Office on making additional central funding available to electoral registration officers to ensure that EU citizens are aware of the steps they need to take in order to participate in the European elections in the UK.

Bridget Phillipson: While Returning Officers at a European Parliamentary election are funded directly by the UK Government for the costs involved in administering the election, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are funded entirely by the local authority which has appointed them. This means that EROs across the UK are required to draw on their local annual budgets to deal with the impact of national electoral events.In its report on registration at the 2017 UK Parliamentary General Election, the Commission highlighted the need for the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments to work with the Commission and EROs across the UK to review the balance of funding and resources for EROs. This is to ensure that election-specific activity can be appropriately resourced, as well as ongoing activities such as the annual canvass of properties.

European Parliament: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Commission plans to issue guidance to returning officers on making available at polling stations on 2 May 2019 the UC1/EC6 form for EU citizens eligible to vote in the European elections in the UK..

Bridget Phillipson: The Commission has issued guidance to all Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) recommending that they should write to EU citizens to inform them of what they need to do to be able to vote at the European Parliamentary election in the UK. EU citizens should therefore have already received a declaration form from their ERO directly, and so the Commission does not intend to issue further guidance on the provision of declaration forms.

European Parliament: Elections

Cat Smith: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Commission plans to provide to electoral registration officers on the acceptability of scanned or photographed UC1/EC6 forms in order to make changes to the electoral register ahead of European elections in the UK.

Bridget Phillipson: A declaration by an EU citizen to vote in the European Parliamentary election in the UK must be made in writing, but this can include a declaration submitted as an email with a scanned signature. This is in line with the Commission’s general guidance to Electoral Registration Officers on applications requiring a signature, such as applications to vote by post.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the quantity of land suitable for housing being left undeveloped due to land banking by private developers.

Kit Malthouse: The Review of Build Out Rates chaired by the Rt Hon Sir Oliver Letwin MP reported on 29 October 2018. It found no evidence that speculative land banking is part of the business model for major house-builders, or that it explains slow build-out rates. The review concluded that greater differentiation in types and tenures of new homes would increase market absorption and stimulate an increase in build-out rates. This Government has put in place extensive incentives and assistance to encourage house-building, especially on brownfield land, to support the housing policies in our revised National Planning Policy Framework.

Litter: Roads

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has plans to discuss with the Department for Transport the potential transfer of litter picking duties on major trunk roads from local district councils to Highways England.

Rishi Sunak: The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the lead government department for policy in both waste and litter management. My Department meets regularly with DEFRA and Department for Transport colleagues on matters relating to both.

Youth Services: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to mandate local authorities to ringfence funding for statutory youth workers and services.

Rishi Sunak: There are currently no plans to ringfence funding for statutory youth workers and services. Providing councils with the freedom to use funds in a way that responds to local needs and priorities and avoiding the ringfencing of specific funds, is key to ensuring financial sustainability and sound financial management on the part of authorities themselves.The 2019-20 settlement confirmed that Core Spending Power is forecast to increase from £45.1 billion in 2018-19 to £46.4 billion in 2019-20. This is a cash-increase of 2.8 per cent and a real-terms increase in resources available to local authorities. This recognises both the growing pressure on local government’s services and higher-than-expected inflation levels.

Refuges: Finance

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the amount of Government funding allocated to women's refuges for each calendar year after 2013.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the amount of Government funding planned for women's refuges for the next calendar year.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Since 2014 MHCLG has invested £55.5 million in services in England to support victims of domestic abuse, including refuges.Our £10 million fund to local authorities (2014-2016), where we released £3 million in 2014 and £7 million in 2015, helped 148 local authorities strengthen refuge provision for victims and offer support to women from outside their own area.The £3.5 million fund (2015-2016), also released in 2015, supported 46 local authorities and their partners to deliver 710 new bed spaces for 3,798 victims of domestic abuse.Through our £20 million fund (2016-2018) we released £3.2 million in 2016 and £17.2 million in 2017. This supported 80 projects across the country, helping to create more than 2,000 bed spaces and giving support to over 19,000 victims and their families.My Department’s current £22 million fund (2018-2020) is supporting 63 projects across England to provide support for over 25,000 victims, and their families, and over 2,200 additional bed spaces in accommodation-based services, including refuge. To facilitate this, we released £9.8 million in 2018 and on 30 April 2019 we released the final instalment of £12.2 million to cover the 2019 to 2020 financial year. Funding beyond March 2020 is for decision at the next Spending Review.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that older people on low incomes are able access benefits they are entitled to.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to ensuring that older people receive the support they are entitled to and the DWP targets activity on engaging with people who may be eligible to benefits at pivotal stages, such as when they claim State Pension or report a change in their circumstances. The DWP uses a wide range of channels to communicate information about benefits to potential customers; including information on https://gov.uk/, in leaflets and by telephone. People wishing to claim Pension Credit can do so by calling 0800 99 1234. DWP staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres including visiting officers are able to provide help and advice about entitlement to benefits, as are staff in Local Authorities who administer Housing Benefit. One of the best ways to reach eligible customers is through trusted stakeholder working in the community and we have developed the Pension Credit toolkit, as an on-line tool for agencies and welfare rights organisations to use in order to encourage Pension Credit take-up. It can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-toolkit The toolkit contains resources for anyone working with pensioners and includes guides to Pension Credit. It also contains publicity material and guidance designed to help older people understand how they could get Pension Credit and help organisations support someone applying for Pension Credit as well as ideas for encouraging take-up. The toolkit also provides links to information about disability and carers benefits. Most recently we have provided to relevant organisations a fact sheet about Pension Credit and forthcoming changes for couples to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information. The majority of people of pension age in receipt of a State Pension or another social security benefit receive their annual winter fuel payment automatically without the need to make a claim

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) when and (b) with which countries her Department last signed reciprocal agreements on the uprating of pensions of UK residents overseas.

Guy Opperman: The UK last signed a reciprocal social security agreement with Ireland on 1 February 2019 to preserve the rights established through the Common Travel Area arrangements and currently facilitated by EU law. The agreement includes the uprating of pensions for UK and Irish nationals living and/or working in each other’s state once the UK leaves the EU.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department last held discussions with officials in the Government of (a) Australia, (b) Canada and (c) New Zealand on the establishment of reciprocal agreements in relation to the uprating of pensions of UK residents in those countries; and if she will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The Government has no plans to hold discussions on uprating pensions with officials from the governments of Australia, Canada or New Zealand and no recent discussions have occurred.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has been taken to improve the process for (a) personal independence payment and (b) disability living allowance assessments for people with long-term genetic conditions.

Justin Tomlinson: The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment is designed to treat all health conditions and impairments fairly. PIP and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) awards (with the exception of claims made under special rules for the terminally ill) are determined on the basis of the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability and not the health condition or disability itself. 31% of those on PIP receive the highest level of support, compared to 15% of DLA’s working-age claimants and 39% of reassessment claimants are getting a higher award on PIP compared to when they were on DLA. I can assure you however that we have considered the needs of people with long-term genetic conditions in developing the assessment. We consulted with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability, including representatives from Radar (who subsequently merged to become Disability Rights UK) and Equality 2025. Both Assessment Providers have an ongoing programme of regular engagement with organisations representing disabled people discussing many aspects of Personal Independence Payment. These organisations have also developed reports and briefings on specific conditions to inform both providers' training. There will be a continuing programme of professional development for assessors, monitored by the Department, and we expect this level of engagement to continue. We remain committed to providing support to disabled people, to better enable them to lead full, active, and independent lives.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to improve the process for (a) personal independence payment and (b) disability living allowance assessments for people with fluctuating conditions.

Justin Tomlinson: We have designed Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for working age claimants to reflect a modern understanding of disability and treat all conditions fairly. PIP is more dynamic in responding to changes in a person’s needs compared to DLA for working age recipients, where over 70% had an indefinite award with little prospect of a review. DLA focus however has shifted to provide better support for disabled children under the age of 16, with continuous improvements being introduced. The PIP assessment is designed to accurately reflect the impact of variations in an individual's level of impairment. The criteria consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account. Key to the benefit is a more objective assessment, which allows us to accurately and consistently assess individuals’ needs. It remains a fundamental principle that the assessment should not just consider whether an individual can complete an activity, but the manner in which they can do it. In March 2013, the Government made changes in the Regulations to make clear that consideration must be given to whether individuals can complete the assessment activities “safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period”.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2019 to Question 229636, what forecast she has made of flows on to universal credit in the next period for which such a calculation has been made.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer on 7 March 2019 to Question 229636, over what periods her Department forecasts flows on to universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department has forecasted flows onto Universal Credit to 2024. The below table shows a breakdown of the average monthly volumes per calendar year from 2019 (rounded to the nearest 10,000 where appropriate).  201920202021202220232024Rapid Reclaims40,00040,00040,00050,00050,00050,000Pure new awards100,000100,000100,00090,00090,00090,000Movement due to a change in circumstance50,00040,00030,00020,00010,000-Being moved without a change in circumstanceLess than 500Less than 100010,00040,00090,000-Total190,000180,000190,000200,000230,000140,000

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the minutes of the universal credit programme board for June 2017, what plans she has for the universal credit system to interface with social media providers; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: There are no plans for the Universal Credit system to interface with social media. However, as the May 2017 Universal Credit Programme Board minutes set out, we have explored where interactions might be useful to help increase awareness and understanding of Universal Credit, for those who may be eligible to make a claim.

Employment: Older Workers

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to (a) tackle age-bias in recruitment and (b) ensure that older workers are offered training and development opportunities.

Alok Sharma: The Equality Act 2010, provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment and makes it unlawful for an employer or an employment service provider such as a recruitment agency, to discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of their age or perceived age. This applies both where the employer is making arrangements to fill a job, and in respect of anything done during the course of a person’s employment. To be lawful, any differential treatment based on age must be objectively justified. In February 2017, The Government published a strategy ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’. The Strategy is led by employers, but also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting older workers to remain in and return to work. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available on the gov.uk website.DWP also work closely with the Business in the Community and Older Workers Champion to promote the Fuller Working Lives strategy with employers. The number of workers aged 50 and over currently in employment is at a record high of 10.4 million, an increase of 1.4 million over the last 5 years and an increase of 2.5 million over the last 10 years. Further to the Further Working Lives strategy, through the National Retraining Partnership, the Government is developing the National Retraining Scheme, which is an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult retraining. It will help individuals to respond to the changing labour market, redirect their careers and secure better, more secure jobs of the future. Its focus will be on supporting those adults whose occupations are most at risk of technological change, to provide them with new skills to move into more sustainable career.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environment Protection: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money his Department has allocated from the public purse to support the 2019 Year of Green Action.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The purpose of the Year of Green Action is to encourage all sectors of society to play their part in taking action to improve the environment. We are supporting and amplifying the efforts of others through a small team co-ordinating promotional events and working with a number of charities, community groups and businesses to drive environmental action across Government and civil society. Key to this is our partnership with Step Up To Serve on the #iwill4nature campaign, which is seeking to encourage greater participation by young people from all backgrounds in environmental social action projects. We have spent £94,000 on programmes to support the Year of Green Action to date and have allocated an additional £78,000 for the remainder of the financial year. This includes contributions to green action projects and events run by charitable bodies such as the Sensory Trust, Groundwork and the Campaign for National Parks, promotional materials and the development of a website to promote volunteering opportunities for all and amplify activity underway. This expenditure does not include in-kind contributions received from the many organisations promoting the Year of Green Action with Defra’s support. We also fund the staff costs of the team of policy and communications advisers supporting the Year of Green Action initiative.

Waste: Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the environmental cost of waste crime in the Borough of Havering.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No assessment has been made.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support global action to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In October 2018 the UK Government staged the largest ever international illegal wildlife trade conference in London, where we reaffirmed our commitment to and leadership in tackling this trade across the globe. The Conference Declaration was signed by 64 countries and builds on commitments made at the previous illegal wildlife trade conferences in London, Kasane and Hanoi. The UK is investing more than £36 million between 2014 and 2021 to take action to counter the trade, including work to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, ensure effective legal frameworks and develop sustainable livelihoods. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/declaration-london-conference-on-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-2018 We have made progress in key areas in the six months since the London 2018 conference, including a successful workshop in Vietnam to look at ways to tackle the demand for illegally traded species and products; the establishment and first deployment of a new counter-poaching partnership programme to deliver counter-poaching training for African park rangers; and progress with the WILDLABS Tech Hub which aims to harness the power of technology, data sharing and machine learning to combat wildlife crime. We also announced 14 new schemes that will each receive a share of £4.6 million from the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, and new education resources for schoolchildren around the globe that aim to teach the next generation about the dangers of fuelling the illegal wildlife trade. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-supports-global-action-to-fight-illegal-wildlife-trade In December 2018 we passed tough new legislation to close our domestic ivory market. The Ivory Act effects a total ban on commercial dealing in elephant ivory with five narrow exemptions, and when it comes into force it will be the toughest in Europe and one of the toughest in the world.

Government Departments: Food

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) food and (b) drink sold in Government Departments is from (i) UK and (ii) fair trade sources.

David Rutley: Government policy does not specify that public sector organisations should purchase British food as this would go against current procurement rules and regulations. However, the Government is keen to promote the sales of locally grown and ethically produced food and drink in canteens on its estate. The Plan for Public Procurement, published under the 2010-2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government, aims to help procurers make more informed purchases. The plan included guidance, in the form of a balanced scorecard, enabling bids for contracts to be assessed against a set of Government buying standards for food. The balanced scorecard rewards bids for contracts which commit to serve locally sourced food and those that take advantage of seasonal increases in the availability of certain types of produce. With regard to fair traded goods, the mandatory element of the buying standards requires that 50% of tea and coffee must be sourced fairly, and to meet the best practice standards 100% of tea, coffee, bananas and cocoa must be fair trade. Use of the balanced scorecard is mandatory for central Government departments and executive agencies.

Food

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the development of local food plans.

David Rutley: The Government works closely with the full spectrum of food and drink businesses across the country to promote growth, jobs, productivity and exports. We engage with businesses both directly and through trade associations, Local Enterprise Partnerships, regional food groups and other business groups. We support them in their efforts to address economic challenges and mitigate regulatory and compliance issues, and prepare successfully for EU exit.

Birds: Pest Control

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which interested organisations his Department contacted to explain that General Licences (GL 04/05/06) were to be Judicially Reviewed but that in his Department's opinion were sound in (a) February, (b) March and (c) April.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Judicial Review was brought against Natural England as the licensing authority, not Defra. As such Defra did not contact interested organisations to communicate any views in relation to the legal challenge.I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the reply previously given on 29 April 2019 to PQ 246908.

Home Office

Slavery: Victims

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2018 continue to be safeguarded.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the outcomes of the potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2018.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery. When a potential victim is referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and the competent authority finds reasonable grounds to believe they are victim, that person becomes entitled to support. Potential victims are entitled to support for a minimum of 45 days for recovery and reflection, or until they receive a conclusive grounds decision confirming their victim status. Since 1st February confirmed victims receive a further 45 days of move-on support to help them transition to the next phase of their lives.Child victims of modern slavery are supported by local authorities under existing statutory child protection arrangements.The National Crime Agency regularly publishes NRM data, including the “National Referral Mechanism Statistics End of Year Summary 2018” which was published on 20th March 2019. The number of potential victims referred into the NRM for 2018 is available online here:https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/component/finder/search?q=national+referral+mechanism+end+of+year+2018&Search=The statistics also show the outcomes of conclusive grounds decisions.Responsibility for NRM data will pass to the Home Office when the new Single Competent Authority for NRM decision making goes live later this month. We will then review what data we publish going forward.

Asylum: Children

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure all trafficked, separated and unaccompanied children have an independent guardian to help them access their rights.

Victoria Atkins: Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (ICTAs) are an independent source of advice for trafficked children and somebody who can speak up on their behalf. We have successfully rolled out ICTAs to one third of all local authorities in England and Wales, in line with the commitment we made in July last year. Where the service is available, all children that are potential victims of trafficking are eligible for support.The Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act led by Frank Field, Baroness Butler-Sloss and Maria Miller has recently considered Section 48 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which makes provisions for ICTAs. The Review’s interim reports can be foundhttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act#interim-reportsThe Government is currently carefully considering the recommendations for ICTAs, and we remain committed to rolling ICTAs out nationallyUnaccompanied children are looked after by the relevant local authority and are entitled to the same services as any other looked after child. Under these arrangements, unaccompanied children will have a professional social worker and an independent reviewing officer to oversee their care arrangements. All unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in England are referred to the Refugee Council’s Children’s Panel and they are also entitled to legal assistance in pursuing their asylum claim. The Government believes that these arrangements ensure unaccompanied children are provided with the independent support and advice that they need.

Immigration: Appeals

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused immigration cases in 2018 appealed to the First-tier Tribunal.

Caroline Nokes: Statistics on appeals that have been lodged following an immigration decision are published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on a quarterly basis. The most recent edition (Tribunals and gender recognitions certificates statistics quarterly: October to December 2018) is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2018.Table FIA_1 contains the requested data.

Asylum: Applications

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have provided further submissions for their asylum claims after initially having their claim refused in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Home Office records report that, between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018, a total of 28,953 people lodged Further Submissions after initially having their asylum claim refused. A breakdown for each year is provided in the table below.Since March 2015, the Home Office has required non-detained refused asylum seekers to lodge Further Submissions by appointment at the Further Submissions Unit based in Liverpool.The figures in the table note how many people lodged a Further Submission at the Further Submissions Unit, and how many people lodged their submission by a different route, including cases where a Further Submission was raised in detention and cases where a Further Submission is raised during the Family Returns Process.Table showing breakdown of people who made Further Submissions following refusal of asylum between 2014 and 2018 YearSubmission not made in person in LiverpoolSubmission made in person at Further Submissions Unit in Liverpool(Total)2014--4,52120151,9712,1244,09520161,4203,3244,74420171,5465,0536,59920181,6187,3768,994(Total)6,55517,87728,953

Home Office: Contracts

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Written Question 179072 on Home Office: Contracts, for what purpose gagging clauses have been included in contracts drawn up between his Department and (a) charities, (b) voluntary sector organisations, (c) social enterprises and (d) companies.

Victoria Atkins: There are no gagging clauses within Home Office contracts or Grant agreements.

Visas: Clergy

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits on introducing a specific category of visa for recognised religious clergy.

Caroline Nokes: We recognise the value Ministers of Religion and Religious Workers bring to our communities. This is reflected in our dedicated routes under Tier 2 and Tier 5 of the Points Based System.In December 2018, we published a White Paper on the future immigration system. This sets out our intention to continue to attract those who bring a range of skills, including those who make valuable contributions to the enjoyment of faith and community across the UK.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government's plans to publish its new alcohol strategy.

Victoria Atkins: We are considering the precise timing of next steps across Government.

Marriage of British Subjects (Facilities) Act 1915

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support is available to British Citizens applying under the British Subjects Facilities Act 1915.

Caroline Nokes: Marriage law within the United Kingdom is a devolved matter and the Home Office is only responsible for England and Wales.A British subject resident within England and Wales, who wishes to marry outside of England and Wales, can obtain advice online at www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad. They can also obtain advice from their local register office and from a British embassy, High Commission, or Consulate within the country where they are marrying.Ultimately it is for couples to contact the authorities in the country in which they wish to marry to ensure that they meet with the legal requirements of that country.

UK Visas and Immigration: Correspondence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the enquiry of 20 February 2019 to UKVI from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central on behalf of her constituent, Mr Walid Chegra.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office responded on 29th April regarding this matter

Immigration: EU Nationals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Newport East constituency.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme have been refused in (a) the UK, (b) Wales and (c) Newport East constituency; and what the reasons were for refusal.

Caroline Nokes: The latest figures that are available have been published in two separate reports on both private beta phases:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/752872/181031_PB1_Report_Final.pdf.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-private-beta-2/eu-settlement-scheme-private-beta-testing-phase-2-report.We will publish further details on application outcomes in due course.

Refugees: Syria

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to extend funding for the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme beyond 2020.

Caroline Nokes: We are making positive progress in our work with key stakeholders and international organisations on our future Asylum and Resettlement Strategy. This includes consideration of the UK’s resettlement offer, and how it is funded, beyond 2020.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme have been refused in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London and (d) Lewisham borough; and what the reasons for those refusals were.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London and (d) Lewisham borough.

Caroline Nokes: The latest figures that are available have been published in two separate reports on both private beta phases:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/752872/181031_PB1_Report_Final.pdf. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-private-beta-2/eu-settlement-scheme-private-beta-testing-phase-2-report.We will publish further details on application outcomes in due course.

Asylum: Libya

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will increase the number of vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers from Libya receiving resettlement in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: Refugee resettlement demonstrates the UK’s proud tradition of providing protection to those who need it; and of our commitment to supporting UNHCR’s global effort to provide durable solutions to the plight of refugees.The UK has committed to resettle a number of vulnerable refugees who have been evacuated by UNHCR from Libya to Niger. There are no plans to increase this commitment at the current time.

Borders: Personal Records

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress he has made on the e-borders programme; and whether the UK will have an electronic border control system when the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Nokes: The eBorders Programme was replaced by Digital Services at the Border (DSAB) in 2014. DSAB is currently refreshing and replacing existing computer systems in use at the border. These upgrades include capabilities to facilitate EU Exit.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to relocate public sector jobs from Central London to the Outer London Borough of Havering.

Oliver Dowden: The Government committed in the 2018 Government Estates Strategy to locate more Civil Service roles out of London and into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. To deliver on this commitment, the Cabinet Office is co-ordinating activity under the Places for Growth programme. This programme will take a place-based approach to relocating roles that ensures we have the skills and capacity in the right places to enable organisations and cities to flourish. Where roles are demonstrated to require a London presence, often there is no need for a central London location. Therefore, we have committed to three Hubs in outer London – Croydon, Stratford and Canary Wharf – to provide great places to work for these Civil Servants. Potential outer London locations are not limited to these hubs, though no further decisions have been made at this stage.

Public Bodies: Location

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2019 to Question 910478, what the twelve new public bodies are that will be located outside London.

Oliver Dowden: The Government committed in the 2018 Government Estates Strategy to locate more Civil Service roles out of London and into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. To deliver on this commitment, the Cabinet Office is co-ordinating activity under the Places for Growth programme. This programme will take a place-based approach to relocating roles that ensures we have the skills and capacity in the right places to enable organisations and cities to flourish. Since 2016, the creation of the following agencies and public bodies has been approved on condition that they will be based outside of London, either immediately or over an agreed timeframe. These are: Regulator of Social Housing - Manchester and LeedsGovernment Property Agency - Birmingham2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee - BirminghamSmall Business Commissioner - BirminghamSubmarine Delivery Authority - BristolInstitute for Apprenticeships - CoventryHealthcare Safety Information Branch - FarnboroughSocial Work England - SheffieldIndependent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise - GuildfordUK Trade Remedies Authority - ReadingThe Single Finance Guidance Body will be required to relocate within five years after its creation.The East West Rail Company will be based in London while the company is being formed and once operational will base itself in a location along the railway route.

Government Departments: Amazon

Mr David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Departments have contracts with Amazon Web Services for cloud hosting services; and what proportion of the G-Cloud cloud hosting budget was spent on Amazon Web Services in the last financial year.

Oliver Dowden: Records of Government contracts above £10,000 in central government and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search G-Cloud spend information is in the public domain at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-marketplace-sales

Government Departments: Internet

Mr David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what companies provide cloud hosting services to the Government; and what proportion of the G-Cloud cloud hosting budget was spent on each of those companies in the last financial year.

Oliver Dowden: Records of Government contracts above £10,000 in central government and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search G-Cloud spend information is in the public domain at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-marketplace-sales

Government Departments: Staffline

Imran Hussain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contracts the Government holds with Staffline PLC.

Oliver Dowden: Records of public sector contracts above £10,000 in central government and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution to the November hearing of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, that he could absolutely provide assurance that money from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund is not being used to fund activities that might lead to the death of people in other countries, what assessment he has made of whether reports of the use of that funding for specialist anti-terror courts in Pakistan is incompatible with his statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) takes its responsibility to do no harm very seriously. All CSSF programmes comply with the UK’s domestic and international human rights obligations and have robust measures in place to protect the human rights of beneficiaries. CSSF programmes in Pakistan have supported the reform of the criminal justice system, including the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes, in a manner compliant with human rights. For all security and justice programmes, Overseas Security and Justice Assessments (OSJAs) are used as an additional risk management process to assess and to mitigate human rights risks. OSJAs are specifically designed to improve human rights standards and strengthen the rule of law in partner countries. They also help to guide decision makers and Ministers on how to provide security assistance overseas while managing the consequences for human rights. My Rt. Hon friend, the FCO Minister responsible for South Asia, receives regular updates on the risks associated with the Rule of Law programme’s activities. In addition, I have seen the independent OSJA audit, which included an overview of the Pakistan Rule of Law programme, and am confident that activities have been delivered in a way that is consistent with the UK’s opposition to the death penalty

Treasury

Burma: Freezing of Assets

Imran Hussain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of the assets frozen under EU sanctions on targeted Burmese military and security personnel.

John Glen: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation undertakes an annual review of frozen assets in the UK, requiring all persons or institutions that hold or control frozen assets in the UK to report to OFSI. Details of assets reported to OFSI in 2018 are not yet available and will be published in OFSI’s 2018-2019 Annual Review. There were no Burmese assets identified in the 2017 frozen asset review due to current designations coming into force from April 2018.

Personal Savings: Older People

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure older people are able to build and maintain savings for retirement.

John Glen: The Government is committed to supporting people of all incomes and at all stages of life to save. Older people will continue to benefit from a number of measures the Government has introduced in recent years. The Government has increased the amount that individuals, including older people and those of State Pension age, can earn or receive in savings interest before paying income tax to £12,500 per year. As a result, people can keep more of their income to invest as they choose. The amount of money that people can save into their ISAs each year (the annual subscription allowance) has been increased to a record £20,000. Since April 2016, individuals have also been able to benefit from a new Personal Savings Allowance of up to £1,000 for basic rate taxpayers and up to £500 for higher rate taxpayers.As a result of these measures, over 95% of people with savings income pay no tax on that income.

Apprentices: Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) reducing the amount employers pay into the apprenticeship levy and (b) extending the amount of time before funds expire; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Apprenticeship Levy has been set at a level that raises sufficient funds to support the starts we expect to generate. Once levy funds enter employers’ accounts, they can be used to pay for training for 24 months before they begin to expire on a rolling, month-by-month basis. Income from the levy is also used to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers. We will keep our funding policy under review to ensure that apprenticeships continue to be affordable and offer value for money for the taxpayer.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Rural Areas

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to launch the Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme.

Margot James: At Budget 2018, £200 million was allocated from the National Productivity Investment Fund for the Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme. This is to start our "Outside-In" approach identified in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, which seeks to ensure that around 10% of UK premises that are not likely to get commercial full fibre coverage by 2033 are addressed at the same pace as the rest of the country. We will make further announcements on this policy shortly.

House of Commons Commission

Parliament: Huawei

Jo Platt: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether Huawei equipment is used in the parliamentary (a) telecoms and communications network and (b) security and surveillance network.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Women and Equalities

Poverty

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which Department is responsible for monitoring and implementing policies relating to the targets under Sustainable Development Goal 10 on economic inequality.

Victoria Atkins: Goal 10 is to reduce inequality within and between countries, and so responsibility for delivery is shared across Government. For example, the Office for Disability Issues in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) leads on disability policy, the Race Disparity Unit in the Cabinet Office is key to our approach on race equality, DWP and HM Treasury are responsible for addressing income inequality within the UK, and the Department for International Development leads on tackling inequality between countries.To aid transparency, all Departments are expected to set out how their activity aligns to the Goals in their Single Departmental Plans. The Government Equalities Office is coordinating reporting for Goal 10 across Government for the Voluntary National Review this year.

Gender Recognition

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what transgender groups and charities the Government consulted as part of its consultation on the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Victoria Atkins: The Government Equalities Office met over 100 organisations in the run up to, and during the formal consultation period on the Gender Recognition Act, including LGBT groups, trans groups, women’s groups, faith groups, foreign governments and other civil society groups. Since beginning its consultation engagement work, the specific trans organisations that officials from GEO have met with are:A:GenderAll About TransFTM LondonGendered IntelligenceGIRESMermaidsPress for ChangeScottish Trans AllianceThe Beaumont TrustThe Unique Transgender NetworkTrAC ProjectTrans Media WatchTrans Organisations NetworkTransgender EuropeTransgender Netwerk Nederland

Candidates: Disability

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many applications have been made to the EnAble Fund.

Victoria Atkins: The Government Equalities Office launched the EnAble Fund in December 2018, providing grants to help cover disability-related expenses that candidates might face when seeking elected office. There have been around fifty applications to the fund since then.